eBox Charges Onto EV Elites’ Shopping Lists

2006 ebox

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Earlier this month, at the AltCar Expo in Santa Monica, AC Propulsion formally introduced a new electric vehicle, the eBox. Based on the boxy Scion xB, the eBox promises to be a finished product, certainly a step above the nuts-and-bolts that EV fans have settled for in the past.

Most of those earlier vehicles also used heavy lead-acid battery packs, while the eBox has a lightweight lithium-ion battery pack on board—with technology shared with laptop computers—that weighs about as much as a comparably-sized lead-acid setup while capable of storing three times the energy.

Based on pictures, the eBox looks remarkably OEM, with air conditioning (including an electric heater) standard, along with power accessories and cruise control, while AC Propulsion’s options list includes leather upholstery, alloy wheels, a navigation system, and custom paint.

The conversion brings the xB’s curb weight up to manageable 3050 pounds, yet AC Propulsion claims much better performance, with a 0-60 time of around seven seconds. They claim an impressive normal range of 140-180 miles, thanks in part to regenerative braking, while a full charge can take as little as two hours, given a 240V charging system. The 120-kW AC induction motor cranks out 162 lb-ft of torque. The eBox also comes with a built-in V2G control, for charging from the grid at off-peak times (and potentially, rates) and selling back to the grid at peak times.

But as with the stunning new Tesla electric sports car, price is perhaps the factor most limiting its appeal: The conversion, which starts with a new or low-mileage Scion xB equipped as ordered by the customer, and is for now only available to California customers, costs a whopping $55,000 on top of the cost of the ‘donor’ xB, bringing to bottom line to about $80k.

“It’s an indulgence. But there are certainly plenty of people with enough to support our limited capacity,” said Tom Gage, the company’s president.

The company plans to make its first eBox customer delivery in January, and although it plans to make only one a month initially, production could later be ramped up to make 20 to 30 per year. “A lot will depend on word of mouth,” said Gage. The company plans to have several target-customer, invitation-only test-drive events.

Ultimately, ACP is interested in working with OEMs to create a lower cost, higher production efficiency vehicle with broader appeal. The company boasts expertise in battery management, and while this is the company’s first consumer model, ACP has made a number of one-offs in the past to show off its devices — including the tzero demonstration car, which won the 2003 Michelin Challenge Bibendum.

With the Tesla, and now the eBox, both set to be delivered to customers in 2007, suddenly the electric car isn’t looking so dead after all.

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