What is smaller than a Smart and faster than a Tesla Model S?

Commuter Cars Tango T600!



With only 20 examples sold since 2005 the chances of you seeing one of these things on the road is pretty slim, pun completely intended by the way, unless you are personal friends with George Clooney who purchased the first model off the line.

As ugly as they may be, their numbers if they live up to Commuter Cars' statement, are rather impressive.

First is their size. Weighing in at a whopping 3,300 pounds, with 2,200 of that being under the floor, the T600 has the lowest center of gravity of any car on the road today. All this weight is pushed around by a DC FB1-4001 9" motors at each rear wheel that produce a combined 3,000 ft-lbs of torque at low RPM, with a redline at 8,000 RPM. All this power on instant demand means the T600 has a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds! That is faster than a McLaren F1 or a Porsche Carrera GT. The T600 has a top speed of 150 MPH and has been recorded doing the 1/4 mile in 12.214 seconds. Oh yeah, did I mention that the total width of the T600 is only 99cm, or just under 39 inches.





Obviously with a total width of 39 inches this two seater has a tandem configuration. According to Commuter Cars, the T600 is one of the safest vehicles on the road. Seeing as how they market it as a vehicle able to ride side by side with another T600 in a single lane, I kind of doubt that, but that is just my own opinion. The hub assemblies and brakes are borrowed from the Mazda Miata and it sits on 14 inch wheels.



Other available equipment is two hitches. One at the rear that accepts a 1.25' hitch for towing a generator cart for extended range. The one up front though... according to the their website the front hitch is for moving airplanes.



The range on these are comparable to other EV's available today. With a charging time of 5 hours using a a 40A 220V receptacle you can get 120 miles with a steady speed of 60 MPH on highway, or 100 miles at 70 MPH. Of course these numbers are based on flat driving and do not take into account for acceleration.



On paper the T600 sounds great and it makes you wonder why they have only sold 20 in 11 years. My guess would be the starting price tag of $108,000. Why would you buy one of these when you could get a Tesla Model S for the same price? To each their own I guess. What do you think?

BMW i8: Fast, Good Looking... and Eco Friendly.

With the growing popularity of hybrid and e-Drive vehicles it is no wonder that almost all of the major car manufacturers out there are throwing their own versions into the ring. Hybrid and electric drive vehicles run the gamut from entry level like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt to the Mercedes Benz S Class Plug-in Hybrid and the Tesla Model S. Of course we have had the Toyota Prius on the worldwide market since 2000. It is no wonder that there would of course be a luxury segment as well, i.e., the aforementioned Tesla Model S and Mercedes. But what about the sport segment? Where is the hybrid/electric drive version that puts you into the back of your seat when you press the accelerator to the floor? Obviously the Model S has the Insane Mode that was besting Challenger Hellcats off the line, but it is still a luxury car. That is where the BMW i8 comes into play. The BMW i8 has 100% racing in it's DNA. With a zero-to-sixty time of just 4.2 seconds the i8 will definitely leave a huge smile on your face.

When the BMW i division went to work creating this work of art the main focal point was the aerodynamics of it. Every design aspect was used to create the most aerodynamically capable vehicle possible. What BMW managed to create was a vehicle with a low drag coefficient of 0.26. The BMW i8 is covered throughout with small vents. The i8 uses Efficient Dynamic ventilation to actively open and close the vents to provide additional cooling, reduce coefficient drag, and improve overall aerodynamics. Regardless of how functional the exterior design of the i8 is, there is no denying how good it looks.

All though the BMW i8 can be driven in all electric mode it is, at it's very core, a hybrid vehicle. At the front of the vehicle is an electric motor that puts out 131 horse power. Located at the rear of the vehicle powering the rear wheels is a turbo charged 1.5-liter 3 cylinder engine putting out 226 horse power giving the i8 a combined horse power of 357 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. The power is distributed to the wheels with an Aisin F21-360 FT EOP transmission which is a transmission designed specifically for transversely mounted engines.

The BMW i division continued their engineering genius inside by using a combination of Aluminum and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) to create the two part structure. The choice of materials id due to it's rigidity and extreme lightness compared to steel. Because of the materials used and the constant attention to every aspect of the vehicle both inside and out the BMW i8 has a near perfect 50:50 weight distribution.

Entry to the cockpit is through the rather unique set of scissor style doors. Once inside the interior is quite comfortable yet still let's you know that this is not a luxury car, but rather a sports car with some luxury added in. As far as interior option go there is only 3 different option to choose from, and of course you can always opt to buy the Louis Vuitton luggage set designed specifically for the i8, but you have to go to the LV store and provide proof of i8 ownership first.

Driving the i8, you have 4 modes to choose from.

• Comfort mode, which give the driver a balance between sporty and comfortable fuel efficiency.
• Sport mode will give you the ultra-intense boost function provided by the electric motor.
• Eco-Pro is optimized for maximum efficiency whether you are in hybrid or all electric mode.
• e Drive is a purely electric mode with a range of 15 miles and a top speed of 75 MPH.

Pricing for the BMW i8 starts at $140,700.00 and with few options to customize will top out around $155,000.00 depending on which interior you go with and whether you added on the laser headlights or not.

Special thanks to Bobby Rahal BMW for allowing me to photograph inside of their showroom.