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Atieva improves its all-electric van Edna, tests it on 1/4 mile against BMW i8 and Viper [Video]

If Atieva wasn’t able to convince you that it has an impressive all-electric powertrain by achieving a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in just over 3 secondsin a van, the startup might be able to change your mind now that it managed to bring it down under 3 seconds – 2.94 seconds to be exact.

The company explains:

“Since the last test we have been poring over the data looking for ways to further enhance low-end acceleration. We have also been working on the motor control strategy at higher motor speeds. AC induction motors, which are currently installed in Edna, require fine tuning at all motor speeds in order to extract maximum performance. Until this month the team had been focused primarily on the low-end, but with the performance now approaching maximum potential we are extending this tuning beyond 100 mph.”

The new improvements over 100 mph also helped Edna achieve a 1/4 mile time of 11.3 seconds at 117 mph.

For the first tests, the company put the van against a Tesla Model S and a Ferrari, this time, it races a BMW i8 and a Dodge Viper:

Let’s not forget that Edna is just a prototype body for the powertrain. Atieva intends its first vehicle to be a sedan, which the company claims could make it to market as soon as in 2018. I’m curious to see what they can do with this powertrain in a sedan with potentially a considerable weight reduction.

The company says that under its current form, the powertrain can store 87 kWh of energy and has an output of more than 900 horsepower.

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek.

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