Evonik Unveils Elise-E; The World's Lightest Electric Sports Car

Published February 14, 2012

Evonik Industries, an industrial corporation in Germany and one of the world's leading specialty chemicals firms, unveiled its lightweight electric Elise-E at CAR-Symposium 2012 in Bochum, Germany. The battery-powered Elise-E tips the scales at a scant 2,094 pounds, allowing its 150-kW electric motor to propel it from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds. Top speed is listed at 124 mph.

The Elise-E fuses the combined efforts Evonik, British automaker Lotus, and lithium-ion battery firm, Li-Tech Battery GmbH, which is a joint venture between Evonik and Daimler. Lotus's platform has seen plug-in vehicle applications before: its chassis was used in the first-generation Tesla Roadster―which halted sales last year after Tesla finished its 2,500-unit run of Elise-based sports car―and the short-lived Dodge Circuit EV concept, which was part of the Chrysler's now-disbanded ENVI electric vehicle program.

The Elise-E will showcase Evonik and Li-Tech's CERIO battery technology, which features a light-weight ceramic separator membrane called SEPARION, which Evonik describes as "extremely thin and highly heat-resistant." The patented separator draws on nanotechnology to allow for a compact design, which the company claims results in "high energy density at a low weight."

Focusing on weight, Evonik Industries made use of its structural foam ROHACELL and carbon fiber to design a structure for the Elise-E that's nearly 70 percent lighter than a comparable steel unit. In addition, the Elise-E features lightweight PLEXIGLAS side windows and unique lightweight, low-rolling resistance tires manufactured by Evonik.

The Elise-E truly showcases how the use of lightweight materials throughout a vehicle can result in a finished electric automobile that weighs less than 1,000 kilograms. In fact, Evonik says that the Elise-E is the "first-ever electrical sports car with a weight below 1,000 kg."

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