New Indian car company Vazirani Automotive has revealed a hypercar called the Shul that uses an eco-friendly turbine-electric powertrain that is designed to engage with “purists and petrolheads”.
Chief designer Chunky Vazirani, who has worked for Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce, told Autocar during an interview ahead of the Shul’s Goodwood Festival of Speed reveal that he wanted to make the model more emotional than regular electric vehicles because he himself is a “true petrolhead”.
The car uses a jet turbine-electric powertrain that enables it to mix rapid, torque-heavy performance without compromising on range. Vazirani said that his firm has “worked with a company in the UK on the development of a turbine” that allows drivers “to use regular petrol so they can rely on existing infrastructure”.
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Four electric motors are each located beside a wheel to provide fully independent torque vectoring. The motors drive through single ratio gearboxes, with Vazirani stating that they don't need a second cog because they offer a bandwidth of power “that is pretty damn good and more than enough of what we think customers will use”.
The Shul uses a carbonfibre tub chassis and makes extensive use of carbonfibre in its body to keep weight down, while the exterior has been shaped to minimise drag. Vazirani said the car's turbine meant that it could use relatively small batteries, also helping to trim weight.
“Our battery pack weighs only about 300kg and it gives you the advantage of charging it on the go,” he said, confirming that the car has regenerative technology. “The battery is right behind the passenger [cell] and it also takes some space through the central tunnel, so the car has an optimum weight distribution.”
No technical specifications have been released at this stage because the exact details of some parts have yet to be decided, but Vazirani said that his company was “not interested in fighting for 0-62mph times”. He said that the car has been developed to “focus on handling”, with sports car-like responses and strong brakes supplied by Brembo.
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600 lbs
:) That's a lot! But i suppose that's the industrial standard these days. In the future perhaps it could be 200-300 lbs?
Cheers!
Vazirani Automotive Hypercar
NONSENSE! This is pure rubbish no manufacturer has ever demostrated a pratical turbine driven car so far. Autocar you should know better! No practical gas turbine unit curently exists suitable for fitment to a sports car. A number of manufacturers have yet to demonstarte any type of turbine/electric car. Only the 15 year old Capstone design exists today and it's much better suited to combined heat and power installation is buildings, there are significant issues using it in vehicles least of all cost! What turbine manufacturer in India will produce this? There is no "state of the art" in microturbine design for vehicles it is almost impossible to obtain the life, performance, efficiency and manufacturing costs-dream on
What's Hindi for vapourware?
I'll believe it when it goes on sale