Infiniti Emerg-E Concept
The Infiniti Emerg-E is a two-place hybrid gasoline-electric concept that made its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. While its sleek shape and stunning styling dropped jaws, those on the green side of things immediately recognized it as a reskinned and updated Lotus 414E – itself a concept based on the Evora that debuted at the same show only two years earlier. Yet there is little wrong with a reworked, Infiniti-badged Lotus boasting 402 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, especially when it features a lightweight, all-aluminum bonded chassis beneath an attractive carbon fiber skin penned by the automaker's Southern California design team.
The hybrid powertrain is all contained aft of the cockpit. Primary
propulsion is accomplished with two electric motors, one on each rear
wheel, both featuring its own single-speed transmission (this design
eliminates the need for a differential and provides electronic torque
vectoring control). Energy for the electric motors is stored in a 15-kWh
lithium-ion battery placed behind the seats, which is chemically
different from the lithium-polymer pack Lotus used in its 414E.
Auxiliary propulsion comes from a Lotus-designed, all-aluminum,
1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine, rated at 50 horsepower, that
serves as a range-extender after the 30-mile life of the battery pack is
extinguished. Teamed with an 8.1-gallon fuel tank, the combo allows the
Emerg-E to cruise about 300 miles without stopping.
Offered the chance to take the Emerg-E for a quick loop around an
autocross course in Southern California, I jumped at the opportunity.
