The eBox is a conversion of a

Scion xB The Scion xB is a five-door compact hatchback that was produced by Scion (automobile), Scion, a former marque of Toyota. Produced from the 2004 to 2015 model years, it was one of the two launch models of the Scion marque, alongside the Scion xA. ...

hatchback A hatchback is a car body style, car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row sea ...

into a

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that uses electrical energy exclusively from an electric vehicle battery, on-boa ...

produced by the American company

AC Propulsion AC Propulsion is a San Dimas, California, USA company founded in 1992 by Alan Cocconi, Wally Rippel, and Paul Carosa, that specializes in alternating current-based drivetrain systems for electric vehicles. It offers AC-induction traction motors. ...

History

AC Propulsion eBOX electric car DSCN3364

AC Propulsion executives announced their intention to convert Scion to battery electric vehicles in October, 2003. Company executives stated that the Scion xB was chosen in part due to its boxy shape which allows for good placement and installation of a battery pack. The availability of a suitable battery was said to be an important step in allowing for the announcement of the program. Suitability requirements included that the battery be widely available ("off the shelf"), in volume, without danger that supply would be cut off or be overly limited. Thousands of

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energy ...

, of the 18650 variant, were proposed as suitable for the rechargeable battery system. The prototype eBox was unveiled in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

on August 18, 2006. The prototype used a battery pack consisting of 5,300 Li-ion cells arranged into 100 blocks of 53 cells each. The first production eBox was delivered to actor

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

on February 15, 2007.

Pricing

Estimated cost of this conversion exceeds US$50,000 in addition to the base vehicle cost (excluding the cost of the gasoline engine, that is replaced in the conversion), while high-volume OEM additional cost is projected at about $10,000. It appears that high-volume production by original vehicle manufacturers using AC production components is a goal, with the low-volume production being an intermediate step. AC Propulsion offers the conversion for US$55,000.

Specifications

*Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds. *Top Speed: *Range: * Motor: AC induction motor *

Battery pack A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical Battery (electricity), batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage and current. The term ' ...

: 5,088 Li-Ion cells, 355 V nominal, 35kWh, *

Battery charger A battery charger, recharger, or simply charger, is a device that stores energy in an electric battery by running current through it. The charging protocol—how much voltage and current, for how long and what to do when charging is complete� ...

: On board, 100-250VAC, 50/60 Hz, includes Vehicle to Grid (V2G) and UPS (generator mode) capability **Charge rate: up to 20 kW; 30 minutes for 20–50 miles **Full Charge: 2 hours (fast), 5 hours (normal) *Energy Efficiency: 180 AC Wh/km in typical driving (648 kJ/km)

References

External links

Company website

Google Video format

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061111173104/http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&archive=1&storyid=1084&first=5232&end=5231 Informational article from August 2006 which provides updated information as to eBox price, quality, availability, company views. (EVWorld.com)] {{DEFAULTSORT:Ac Propulsion Ebox Automotive technologies Production electric cars Mini MPVs Hatchbacks