Commuter Cars Corporation Unleashes the Tango Electric Vehicle
bucho @ 4:34 pm February 6th, 2006
No, the above image has not been Photoshopped. The Tango electric vehicle is rediculously narrow.
What makes this electric so damn cool is its performance. Zero to sixty times are clocked at a remarkable 4 seconds! Top speed is also good at 150 MPH.
The entire body of the car is carbon fiber.
Somehow they crammed room for two in a tandom arrangement.
I guess they made the interior as race-like as possible so you can forget that from the outside this car looks horrible. :)
February 6th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
That is one damn ugly car..
February 6th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
I agree. This has to be looked at as an unstylish all-weather motorcycle alternative. It’s good for the Earth but not very good for your social life. :) On the other hand, George Clooney bought one, and… never mind it looks stupid.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
I bet some people in Europe and especially Italy would love this car.
Seems like there would be a flippin’ and squishing risk driving this car, especially with those 0 to 60 speeds.
February 8th, 2006 at 11:25 am
Not much flipping risk - with the weight of the batteries on the bottom, the thing corners flat like a go-cart. And the interior is “race-like” because it is just kind of hard to camoflage a full roll cage - so why bother?
Sounds like it might make a whole heck of a lot of sense, AND fun!
February 8th, 2006 at 11:29 am
And it contently folds into the shape of a coffin if you get hit!
:)
February 8th, 2006 at 11:30 am
I couldn’t resist commenting on this post (disclosure: I’m a fan of this car, so I’m biased) :o)
… First of all, it was sort of photoshopped in a sense, but not in this picture. The design of the vehicle (at least in profile) is inspired by some existing automobiles. Some of the contours and lines were traced out from designs they appreciated as a starting point, and the styling evolved from there.
Second, I got a chance to ride in the red prototype briefly a couple years ago, and though the controller was detuned at the time to break in a new battery pack, I can vouch for its performance. This thing is unbelievably powerful. Their primary problem is traction; they have far more power than they can stick to the road with available street tires.
Finally, it’s rock solid. With almost no body lean even on violent cornering due to the low center of gravity (most of the vehicle’s mass is under your seat) and a full NHRA-spec rollcage, I’d rather be in this vehicle in a crash than most vehicles on the road. I was amazed at its stability; going around corners it literally feels like you’re on rollercoaster rails.
Mainly though, their focus is commuting. This is a “Commuter Car”. Maybe you won’t go to parties or on a date with it, but that isn’t the point. It gets you to work through congested streets (especially in areas where lane splitting is legal), you can use motorcycle parking, four will fit in a standard parking space, and because it’s electric and has so little frontal area its energy usage (and day to day expense) makes a Prius seem wasteful. That its 60ft time also smokes most vehicles on the road is icing — or the whole point, depending on your perspective. :o)
February 8th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Oh my god!!
This car costs $108,000!!!
!!!! $108,000 !!!!
ROTFL
February 8th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
This car rocks. I can’t afford this one, but I will definitely be looking at their other cheaper models when they are released!
The only thing ridiculous about this article is the way “rediculously” is spelt.
February 8th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Haha… maybe I should proof read my posts better. :)
February 9th, 2006 at 4:12 am
Umm, why are the photos on this page all squished? The car actually looks even funnier than these pics make it out to be. But once you check out the specs and see some video of the thing autocrossing the look kinda grows on you. Can’t wait till the “Economy” models become available…
February 9th, 2006 at 6:20 am
DOliO:
The photos are not squished in any of the browsers I have used to view this page. The photos are from the Consumer Cars Corporation website. What internet browser/version are you using?