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Thursday, January 17, 2013

1967 Toyota 2000GT Solar Electric Vehicle




By Sebastian Blanco


Q may have packed James Bond's cars with plenty of killer tech (get it?), but the 1967 Toyota 2000GT you see above has got it's own bad boy secrets. Well, if bad boys like zero-emission electric vehicles.

Weighing just 1,460 kilograms (3,218 pounds), this modified 2000GT is all-electric under the skin – and on the skin in some areas. A high-performance solar panel embedded into the hood and a transmission solar panel sits in place of the rear glass. These feed energy into to a 345-volt, 40-kWh lithium-ion battery which, in turn, powers a 120-kW electric motor. Together in the stylish 2000GT, this powertrain is good for a top speed of over 200 kilometers an hour (124 miles per hour).

The car is on display at the Detroit Auto Show this week, but we fist caught wind of it a year ago when a video popped up showing the work of Japan's Crazy Car Project. Since then, some powertrain components have been upgraded (it used to have a 35-kWh battery). You can see the original video of the car in action at http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/classic-toyota-2000gt-turned-into-solar-powered-ev/