Tesla Motors Competitor Stirring In Korea?

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Korea-based electric parts and vehicle manufacturer Leo Motors has announced that it will debut an electric sports car to compete with U.S.-based Tesla Motors near the end of this year. It’s been a few months since we’ve reported on the company from Seoul, last noting that the business claimed to have found a way to increase range in electric vehicles, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids by using a zinc air fuel cell generator.

Calling its upcoming electric car the LZ-1, Leo Motors says the goal of the product is to create a vehicle that can drive 249 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of 161 miles per hour, using a 240 kilowatt electric motor. If the automaker succeeds, the LZ-1 will outperform Tesla Motor’s Model S, which is set to be released to the public around mid-2012, in some areas.

image via Leo Motors

Leo Motors is also building a plug-in hybrid called the LZ-1H which will be powered by a mix of hydrogen and liquid propane gas that fuels a generator, which supplies the electric powertrain. The company says the hydrogen car will have a range of roughly 560 miles when completed.

Apparently not satisfied with simply gaining a slight edge over a company like Tesla Motors, John Lee, CEO of Leo Motors, says his company is attempting to create the world’s fastest electric vehicle, one that can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.9 seconds. The electric vehicle wars, it seems, have begun. May the best car win.

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Posted on June 15th, 2011

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Posted in Electric Vehicles, Transportation

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VYW7BNTBVUW2H7OOHDFICUG65M JamesF

    What a mess under the hood!u00a0 Never a good sign.u00a0 And hydrogen?u00a0 Waste of time.nnGlad to see another company entering the EV world, but these guys seem a bit disorganized.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VYW7BNTBVUW2H7OOHDFICUG65M JamesF

    What a mess under the hood!u00a0 Never a good sign.u00a0 And hydrogen?u00a0 Waste of time.nnGlad to see another company entering the EV world, but these guys seem a bit disorganized.

    • capt996

      is thatu00a0 a ford fiesta size hood? or maybe a yugo?

  • John Lee

    Any company can talk big but so far,u00a0 what have they accomplished? Have they sold any EVs before? Do they have a working prototype? Heck, do they even have a better picture of their prototype besides a messy battery design? Make all the announcements you want but without a track record, its just all talk.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=192800179 Clint Box

    It’s no more messy than my Ford Ranger.u00a0 Good luck Leo!

  • haid

    What about the vehicle that runs on Unicorn glitter?

  • http://twitter.com/blueandgold63 kent beuchert

    It would seem a difficult task for Leo’s sportscar to compete with tTesla’s Model S, since the Model S is a sedan. nWho wrote this blurb?u00a0 And the Model S can travel 300 miles as well, which you might notice, is further than n249 miles. It can also carry 7 passengers, 5 more than the Leo. tesla will debut a sportscar within two years and nI have little doubt that it will outperform and be far more attractive than the Leo. And NOBODY is ever going to build a nhydrogen powered car.