DeLorean Goes Electric: Company Plans New Model Of Iconic Gullwing Car : All Tech Considered : NPR
There’s a new DeLorean DMC-12 coming out — or rather, there’s a new version of the same stainless steel wedge of a sportscar that became an icon (and perhaps the lone representative) of ’80s cool. But it won’t run on gas — it’ll be electric.
And unlike the DeLorean that played a vital role in Back to the Future, this one won’t require a nuclear reaction that generates 1.21 gigawatts.
Instead, the prototype runs on batteries, which currently give it a range of between 70 and 100 miles. But the company says that its second-generation prototype should have a greater range, thanks to more efficient batteries and a lighter frame.
But as DeLorean CEO Stephen Wynne tells Autoweek, that doesn’t mean the car’s body isn’t made of stainless steel — only the underpinnings have been changed to lighter materials.
“I know my market well, and there are certain things we won’t mess with,” he says. “It will keep the stainless-steel exterior. We still want it to be a real car.”