On the opening day of the fourteenth edition of the Dutch Design Week (DDW), Saturday the 17th of October, InMotion has unveiled its first electric racecar. It is named the KP&T IM/e. With a top speed of 285 km/h the KP&T IMe fits in amongst the worlds best! The unveiling of this remarkable car took place in the former Phillips Lighting Application centre (LAC) in Eindhoven. During the remainder of the DDW the car will be exhibited in “het klokgebouw” on a stand of the Eindhoven University of Technology.
The KP&T IM/e is the first completely in-house developed racecar by the InMotion team. This electric car is an important milestone on the road to InMotion’s final goal: taking part in the Le Mans 24 hours. The team consists of 60 members of the Eindhoven University of Technology and Fontys University of applied sciences. Together they have been working on this milestone for over a year.
Developed as tested for the Le Mans 24 hours.
The KP&T IM/e functions as a testplatform for various systems and technologies. Electric drivetrain, active aerodynamics and electronic features all feature on the KP&T IM/e. After optimizing these systems they will eventually be implemented in InMotion’s endurance racecar (the IM01). The IM01 will be developed specifically for the Le Mans 24 hours. By competing in the “Garage 56” category, InMotion is able to develop the car of the future, faster than F1, with only half the energy consumption. Next to the Le Mans 24 hours, InMotion is aiming to beat the Nürburgring all-time record, set over 30 years ago by Stefan Bellof.
In comparison with the currently available electric cars, the KP&T IM/e is more than capable of matching the top. The KP&T IM/e accelerates to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds and will keep on going to its top speed of 285 km/h. The specs are remarkable considering the car is designed with handling in mind, not absolute speed. Using carbon fibre, titanium and magnesium suspension components attains the incredible handling characteristics, whilst keeping the weight as low as possible. The KP&T IM/e has two electric motors delivering 200Kw (545 BHP) whilst weighing only 658 Kg. To compare: a Tesla Model S has 362BHP and weighs 1961 kg.
Electric lap record on Circuit park Zandvoort.
Before the presentation InMotion already revealed the KP&T IM/e, in 2016, will attempt to beat the electric lap record around the most famous Dutch racetrack: Circuit park Zandvoort. In order to achieve this, InMotion is partnering with three well-respected Dutch drivers: Jan Lammers, Xavier Maassen and Nick Catsburg. The current electric lap record is in hands of Xavier Maassen.
During the unveiling of the car, InMotion made another announcement. In 2016 they hope to make an attempt at taking the electric lap record on the Nürburgring Nordschelife from Toyota. The Nordschleife is the place for automotive manufacturers to compare their capabilities. The previously announced attempt to take the all-time record was very wel received by international press: “This is a car with a plan” as stated by Top Gear magazine.