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What do Chrysler, Lotus and Russian race car driver/singer/TV anchor/actor, Nikolay Fomenko, have in common? They all want to make electric sports cars to compete with Tesla.
Enter the Marussia. The Russian supercar pairs some front end styling cues from the Lamborghini Revention with an interior that looks like it was designed by Nerf. Initial offerings will have Nissan's venerable 3.5 liter VQ V6 capable of between 240 and 300 horsepower and 0-62 mph in 5 seconds. But that's no story for a website named All Cars Electric.
Fomenko plans to release an electric version of the vehicle capable of about 250 miles per charge. This variant will carry a heftier price tag of $100,000 and is expected to be released in mid-2009. That's five months from now. Fomenko's partner, Efim Ostrovsky, believes developing a reliable battery may be the biggest hinderance.
“The problem in Russia is not even the electric engine, but the battery. Our cold climate negatively affects their capacity. We dug in that direction and have found a very interesting nanotech project made at one of Russia’s big construction bureaus. It might help solve the battery problem," says Ostrovsky.
Perhaps something is lost in translation. Regardless, the Marussia looks like a legitimate supercar and even the possibility of a future electric version makes this the best thing born in Russia since Maria Sharapova.
Source: Russia Today, Image: English Russia
