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The Eliica (or the Electric Lithium- Ion Car) is a battery electric vehicle prototype or concept car first shown in 2004 and designed by a team at Keio University in Tokyo, led by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu. The car runs on a lithium-ion battery and can accelerate from 0– in four seconds (faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo at the time). In 2004, the Eliica reached a speed of on Italy's Nardò High Speed Track. The team's goal is to exceed , breaking the record set by today's street-legal gasoline-powered vehicles.
Shimizu's new project is called "SIM-Drive" (シムドライブ), with wheel hub motors.
The car has eight to improve traction, and they are smaller than normal passenger vehicles, so it can be lower to the ground for better aerodynamics and stability. Each of the wheels has a electric motor, giving a eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8 g-force. Each wheel contains a disc brake and employs a regenerative brake system to recover energy.
There are currently (as of 2005) two versions of the Eliica: a Speed model and an Acceleration model. The Speed model is made to challenge gasoline-based records and has a top speed of with a range of . The Acceleration model is made for the street and has a top speed of with a range of .
The estimated cost of development was in excess of . Once the team receives corporate sponsorship, they plan to produce at least 200 units. As of early 2007, the projected price was (about ).
On December 19, 2005, then-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi tested this vehicle in a 10-minute ride to the Japanese Parliament. In 2006, the car was tested by Shintaro Ishihara, the governor of Tokyo, as well as by Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan.
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