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{{Short description|Electric vehicle prototype}}
[[File:Eliica2.jpg|thumb|300px|Eliica, the eight-wheeled electric car of Hiroshi Shimizu.]]
The '''Eliica''' (or the '''E'''lectric '''Li'''thium-'''I'''on '''Ca'''r) is a [[supercar]] or an [[battery electric vehicle]] [[prototype]] or [[concept car]] first shown in 2004 and designed by a team at [[Keio University]] in [[Tokyo]], led by Professor [[Hiroshi Shimizu (professor)|Hiroshi Shimizu]]. The {{convert|5.1|m|abbr=on}} car runs on a [[lithium-ion battery]] and can accelerate from 0–{{convert|100|km/h|abbr=on}} in four seconds (faster than the [[Porsche 911 Turbo]] at the time).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=8754&vf=23 |title=Electric shock: it's faster than a Porsche 911 |newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=November 12, 2004 |first=Peter |last=Lyon |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-date=September 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914062538/http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=8754&vf=23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In 2004, the Eliica reached a speed of {{convert|370|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on Italy's [[Nardò Ring|Nardò High Speed Track]].  The team's goal is to exceed {{convert|400|km/h|abbr=on}}, breaking the record set by today's street-legal [[gasoline]]-powered vehicles.
Shimizu's new project is called "SIM-Drive" (シムドライブ), with [[wheel hub motor]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sim-drive.com/english/company/index.html|title=SIM-Drive}}</ref>
== KAZ ==
[[File:Electric vehicle Kaz by Keio-Univ Japan.jpg|thumb|200px|KAZ]]
The Eliica is a refinement of the earlier KAZ (Keio Advanced Zero-emission vehicle), a {{convert|6.7|m|abbr=on}} limousine-sized 8-wheel 8-person electric vehicle prototype of 2003 that also set speed records.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/kaz.html |title=Super car "Kaz" EV Limo to the Stars! |date=October 1, 2002 |work=ElectrifyingTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://freeenergy.ca/news/118/ARTICLE/1250/2007-03-14.html |date=March 14, 2007 |title=Keio Advanced Zero-Emission vehicle |work=FreeEnergy.ca |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007023616/http://freeenergy.ca/news/118/ARTICLE/1250/2007-03-14.html |archivedate=2008-10-07 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2003-07/dr-hiroshi-shimizus-190-mph-electric-car-contraption|title=Dr. Hiroshi Shimizu's 190-mph Electric Car Contraption|journal=Popular Science|date=8 July 2003}}</ref>
== Design details ==
[[File:Eliica.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Eliica shown at [[Intex Osaka]].]]
The Eliica weighs {{convert|2400|kg|0|abbr=on}} and seats the driver and three passengers. The body was tested in a [[wind tunnel]]. The front doors open forward and the rear doors open upward like [[Gull-wing door|gull wings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cary19.com/ElectricCars/ec3super.htm|title=Super Electric Cars|work=cary19.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.designbuzz.com/electric-lithium-ion-car-runs-on-eight-wheels/|title='Electric LIthium-Ion CAr' is luxury on eight wheels|work=Designbuzz : Design ideas and concepts|date=23 July 2019}}</ref> The car's platform contains 4 tracks of 80 batteries, which make up one third of the vehicle's cost. They currently require about 10 hours of recharging at 100 volts from empty to full charge, and can be easily charged off a residential power grid.
The car has eight [[wheel]]s to improve traction, and they are smaller than normal passenger vehicles, so it can be lower to the ground for better aerodynamics and stability. Each of the wheels has a {{convert|60|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[electric motor]], giving a {{convert|480|kW|0|abbr=on}} eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8&nbsp;[[g-force|''g'']]. Each wheel contains a [[disc brake]] and employs a [[regenerative brake]] system to recover energy.
There are currently (as of 2005) two versions of the Eliica: a ''Speed model'' and an ''Acceleration model''. The Speed model is made to challenge [[Internal combustion engine|gasoline-based]] records and has a top speed of {{convert|370|km/h|0|abbr=on}} with a range of {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}}. The Acceleration model is made for the street and has a top speed of {{convert|190|km/h|0|abbr=on}} with a range of {{convert|320|km|abbr=on}}.
The estimated cost of development was in excess of {{USD|320,000}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://e85.whipnet.net/flex.cars/eliica.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510153655/http://e85.whipnet.net/flex.cars/eliica.html |archive-date=2008-05-10 |title=E85 {{!}} Lithium-Ion Eliica}}</ref> Once the team receives corporate sponsorship, they plan to produce at least 200 units. As of early 2007, the projected price was {{currency|30,000,000|JPY|linked=yes}} (about {{USD|255,000}}).
On December 19, 2005, then-[[Prime Minister of Japan]] [[Junichiro Koizumi]] tested this vehicle in a 10-minute ride to the [[Japanese Parliament]]. In 2006, the car was tested by [[Shintaro Ishihara]], the governor of Tokyo, as well as by  [[Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eliica.com/English/project/eliica/patron.html |title=Keio University - Electric Vehicle laboratory |accessdate=2011-06-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322132553/http://www.eliica.com/English/project/eliica/patron.html |archivedate=2012-03-22 }}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Electric vehicle]]
* [[Battery electric vehicle]]
* [[List of electric cars currently available]]
* [[Eight-wheel drive]]
* [[Toyota FCHV]]
* [[Honda EV Plus]]
;Land speed record electric vehicles
* [[La Jamais Contente]]
* [[Buckeye Bullet]]
===Other 8-wheelers===
* [[Milton Reeves|OctoAuto]]
* '''1925 8-wheel car''' ''Liborio E. Rivas of Santa Rita, New Mexico patented it in April 1925''
*  '''"Spider-Car"''' ''an experimental vehicle, produced by [[Eight Wheel Motor Vehicle Company]], appeared in 1929 in San Francisco; rebuild [[Marmon Motor Car Company|1927 Marmon]]'' <ref>Hemmings Classic Car #56 [http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/05/01/hmn_feature3.html "Spider-Man's Spider-Car"], May, 2009</ref><ref>Hemmings Classic Car #57 [http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/08/01/hmn_feature2.html "Spider-Man's Spider-Car"], August, 2009</ref>
'''Limousine'''
* [[I.DE.A Institute|I.D.E.A KAZ]] ''2001 luxury limousine concept; Each of the KAZ’s 8 wheels is powered by its own electric motor, 6 of which are involved in steering.''
'''DIY'''
* '''8-wheeled 1977 Cadillac Eldorado''' (chassis number 6L47S7Q306322) ''built from 1980s-1999, V8 engine, four front wheels are for steering'' <ref>Hemmings [http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/02/05/everythings-bigger-in-australia-eight-wheeled-1977-cadillac-eldorado-heads-to-auction/ "Everything’s bigger in… Australia?"], Feb 5th, 2014</ref>
* '''8-wheeled Corvette''' ''finished in 2010''
*'''8 Wheel 1989 Isuzu Pickup - Triple Play ''' ''built from 2005-08 by Steve Francis of Montgomery, Texas; V8 engine, zero ground clearance'' <ref>Truckin Magazine [http://www.truckinweb.com/features/0805tr_8_wheel_1989_isuzu_pickup/viewall.html/ "If Godzilla Built An Isuzu"]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},  May 01, 2008</ref> ''there is also a 10 Wheel 1991 Isuzu Pickup from 2005''
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Eliica}}
* {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20121120025750/http://www.eliica.com/English}}
[[Category:Concept cars]]
[[Category:Electric land speed record cars]]
[[Category:Electric concept cars]]
[[Category:Automobiles with gull-wing doors]]
[[Category:Vehicles with wheel motors]]
[[Category:Eight-wheeled vehicles]]