All-Electric DeLorean Car To Hit the Streets In 2013

An anonymous reader writes "The DeLorean Motor Company just announced plans to launch an all-electric version of its gull-winged Back to the Future car in 2013. While it doesn't run on fusion power (yet), it still has a top speed of 125 mph driven by a 260 horsepower electric motor."

Re:Why?

[epyT-R]

uhh until we're not burning petroleum to generate electricity, using electric cars INCREASES our dependence due to their inefficiency.

gasoline car
pump out of ground -> ship -> crack/process -> ship to station / pump into tank -> burn -> kinetic energy.

electric car
pump out of ground -> ship -> crack/process -> ship to power plant -> burn -> phase change water -> kinetic energy -> electrical energy AC -> multiple step up and step down transformers -> AC to DC and voltage stepdown conversion -> chemical change in battery -> second chemical change -> electricity -> kinetic energy.

The greens need to accept something like ubiquitous nuclear energy before electric cars become feasible and more environmentally friendly than ICE based cars.

Re:Battary swaps...

[TheJediGeek]

A standard battery pack would mean they become very common and very cheap. How will the auto makers make any money if they can't charge a ridiculous price for a SLIGHTLY different part that is only on 2 models?

But seriously folks, the auto manufacturers would fight tooth and nail to NOT use standardized parts so they can have a huge markup on THEIR brand of part.

Re:DMC?

[Teancum]

When DeLorean Motors was liquidated, the naming rights along with the spare parts inventory and a few unfinished chassis went to some group of investors in Texas where they continued to "hand-build" a few cars at a time based off of the original DMC-12 model design. They also purchased the production certificate, with some restrictions that didn't really matter due to the low production volume.

So the company, in one form or another, has been around awhile even if they haven't exactly been thumping their chest about what it is that they are doing except to existing owners (buy genuine DeLorean parts for your cars!) and to the hobby car/car mod market.

It isn't as if this is something new. Louis Chevrolet [wikipedia.org] originally established the company that bears his name, did some fancy racing with cars, sold the company to General Motors, then blew his money where he finally ended up becoming a mechanic.... working on Chevrolet vehicles including on the engine he designed himself. Then again Chrysler isn't exactly under the same management team they were operated under two decades ago... with several incarnations of that company over the years.

Re:Top Speed

[Ginger Unicorn]

When I bought mine I had to dismantle and reassemble the fuel injection system, replace the fuel sender, fuel pump, gas struts, roof lining, door seals, respray the dashboard and centre console, dismantle and reassemble the blower/heater assembly, remove the front wing/bumper to rewire the cooling fans, remove the rear bumper to adjust its fit, install a self bleed kit on the thermostat, replace the otterstat, replace the seals in the clutch master, rewire a melted fuse box and a million other things i can't remember. I know that car inside and out, i've had it for 7 years, and i have to say it's a thing of beauty, but it was absolutely, definately assembled by barely sentient monkeys. The build state of the thing is an abomination. I found bits of held together with (and this isn't a joke) blu-tack and paperclips. If you stripped one down completely an rebuilt it, then installed a turbocharger,(which plenty of people do) you would have a car that was beyond reproach. As it stands it is a perfectly fine, if extremely quirky car, and I love mine to death, even though most people would evaluate my experience as nothing but pain :)