Above, Argonne researcher Geoffrey Amann prepares the E-Tracer 79 for testing at the laboratory’s APRF. In August 2010, APRF researchers provided validation testing for the finalists in Progressive Insurance’s Automotive X Prize Competition to determine they met the competition’s goals for performance and efficiency targets. (Courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory)
I was picked up by Felix flying his A340-200 into Chicago and enjoyed a very smooth ride home to Switzerland today. I spent the last week in “Government Quarantine” at Argonne National Laboratory. The two E-Tracers passed all the foregoing tech inpections and all the dyno tests with ease, including the quite tough 15-minute run at 55 mph on a 4% grade, something you hardly do in real life. Even though we have been the only EV in the competition without battery cooling or even venting, the results were astonishing: With E-Tracer #79 the grade test started with a very warm battery at 35,6 deg C (from charging outside in a tent, ANL did not want Li-Ion vehicles to be charged OR stored inside due to a fire 10 (yes, ten) years ago…). There was NO cold soaking of vehicles before testing, not what I expected from a National Lab. After the grade test, where #79 ran at about 14,1 kW or about 0,7C constant current, the battery was at 36,5 deg C, so less than 1,0 deg C warmer.
After strapping E-Tracer #72 for the final time on the dyno for its grade test, I just had to go out of the test cell for a break. I just couldn’t take it anymore, 15 minutes seem like hours when you can hear that baby of yours scream inside. Finally, they called me back in and everybody smiled and congratulations followed from all the X PRIZE staff and the ANL crew. I can’t believe it…we’ve really done it!
What started 3 years ago with a blown clutch on my 1100cc-BMW-powered Ecomobile (on my drive back home to Switzerland from Brno racetrack in 2007, after beating everybody else there and with the Championship Cup in my luggage compartement, I shifted down instead of up at over 160 km/h…dahhh!) really ended with creating the world’s most efficient road-legal and production-ready, electric powered high-performance two-seater. It’s going to be official after the 16th of September. I am so glad I don’t have to brag about that fact myself anymore, don’t have to missionary around telling people the E-Tracer uses three times less energy for the same performance and interior space as a famous electric sports car.
Maybe the world is finally ready for the cabin motorcycle now, after all these years…
-Roger
MonoTracer of Switzerland 
Congratulations Roger. I’m going to offer the E-Tracer from now on. I have a dream (had it first in January 2010), that in 2012 in front of Uster-West there’ll be parked 30 E-Tracers, ready for delivery. Gerold.
Wenn der E-Tracer die 15 Minuten mit 4% Steigung mit nur 0,7 Grad K Akkuerwärmung besteht, kann man nur noch den alten Ferry Porsche zitieren:” Mit vollen Hosen ist gut stinken.” Gerold.
Mission accomplished! Roger you were the right man in the place! Super!
Congrats, Guenther
Congratulations , a bright future lays ahead. Let’s move swiftly to a streamlined production…..
Roger, Felix und gesamtes Team,
Herzliche Gratulation aus Detroit zu Eurem fantastischen Erfolg. Wir freuen uns riesig mit Euch und sind sehr stolz auf unsere Winterthurer! Wuenschen Euch allen eine wohlverdiente Siegesfeier in Washington, D.C. und weiterhin nur das beste.
Walti und Doreen Wegmueller
Consulate of Switzerland in Detroit
Hallo Roger.
Meinen allerhöchsten Respekt und Glückwunsch, zu dieser atemberaubenden Leistung.
Dieses Ergebnis legt einen Meilenstein, in der Vermarktung dieses sensationellen Fahrzeugs. Jetzt muss es nur noch auf die Straßen dieser Welt.
Bis bald
Bert
Congratulations Roger, Felix, Jim and the crew!
Tom and I could have the 2 USA ECOs there for President Obama to see some of the history of how we came to this beautiful moment.
This is the moment that the history train gets switched to another track.
Thanks for bringing us along for the ride!!
Best, Dan Whitfield
Hallo Roger,
herzliche Gratulation zu diesem grandiosen Erfolg. Eine fantastische Leistung von einem kleinen Team von Ingenieuren und “Visionären”. Freut mich reisig für Dich und das ganze Team.
Gruss Urs
Hallo Roger,
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu Eurem grossartigen Erfolg!
Wir freuen uns riesig mit Euch und haben keine Minute daran gezweifelt,
dass Ihr es nicht schaffen werdet. Feiert schön und bis bald einmal in Uster
oder Neuheim. Gruss Roger und Monika
Heart felt congratulations Roger, Felix and Team.
You have reached your first goal, the way the E Tracer’s dominated the competition says so much about the validity of the design, the philosophy and it’s place in the future automotive product market. It has been a brilliant few months and very exciting to follow.
We at National Cycle are committed to supporting you and working with you to obtain success in this exciting future.
Well Done
Jason Howard
National Cycle Inc.
Congratulations, Roger, Felix, Frank, Jim, Stefano, and everybody else on the ETracer Team! What we have known for years is about to become a universal truth – cabincycles are our future for personal transportation, and the future is NOW! We will see you in Washington on September 16th!
Hoi Roger und Team
Gratulation zu diesem Grossartiegen Sieg. Es lebe der Elektreoantrieb!!
Dear Roger,
A fantastic result and amazing journey! Congratulations to you and the team.
I am very excited for the future of the E-Tracer and of course those of us lucky enough to already have our trusty Monotracers.
Best wishes to you all
Von Richtofen (MT7010)
Congratulations, Roger, Felix, Frank, Jim, Stefano, and the rest of the E-Tracer Team! The performance numbers beat all other entries by a large margin. The E-tracer is inherently production ready as Dan and Tom have demonstrated with their high mileage Eco-mobiles. I’m sure the publicity you get for this will launch a new era for Peraves, and your order book will fill up quickly and you will be scrambling to find a way to meet demand. Start expanding the factory, I’m saving up.
> Maybe the world is finally ready for the cabin motorcycle now, after all these years…
If you can bring the price form 100’000 down to 20’000 (could be even 25’000 is enough) you can replace the maybe with a certainly. If you stay > 30’000 I fear you have to change this to “the world will never be ready”. There simply is no big (mass) market for a two seater this expensive.
Well then, let’s do a little accounting: 24kWh battery costs 12000 US$, 200kW drive costs 25000 US$, composite carbon/kevlar monocoque costs 20000 US$. No 3-piece chrome wheels yet, no Brembo, no Marzocchi, no Ohlins, no A/C, no paint, no leather, no stereo, no wiper, no Bi-Xenon, no heater, no BMW final drive, no satnav…and please make no mistake: this is a high performance 2-wheeled Bugatti Veyron (but with a 300 mpge efficiency at 75 mph instead of about 10 mpg for the Bug’), and that baby is 2,0 millions…so is the E-Tracer expensive? No, it’s actually a steal. But we agree, we could sell much more if it would be possible to build it as safe, as light, as big, as fast…at the price you would be aiming for. Unfortunately, we can’t do that. But maybe GM could?
Best regards, Roger.
Hello Roger
Thank you very much for the rough “BOM-Cost” (Bill Of Materials)! I do absolutly believe you that yours is the correct price! I hope you did not take this as (personal) critique. As much as I love the current e-tracer I do think there is (to me and to many like me) no need to go > 150 km/h. I am hoping, that “GM” (or who ever) go and convert the “bugatti” you built to a “beetle” that we all could drive. What for are cars mostly used? To transport ONE passenger an average of 9.5 km [1] two times a day. At speeds from 0-120 (I would guess the average to be closer to 50 than 80)
-> most of us do not need a bugatti (even though it is fun and all).
I would like to say thank you very very much for beeing the pioneer that shows what is possible! And I do hope there will be followers, thanks to you!
All the best!
[1] http://www.stadt-wohnen.ch/aktuell/stadt_agglo_pendler.php
sorry one more thing:
> as safe, as light, as big, as fast…at the price you would be aiming for.
What I want to say it “only” needs to be “as safe”, nearly as light, and not nearly as fast and a bit more affordable 😉