Most practical daily drivers don’t generate over 1,000 ft-lbs of torque or 805hp. Spokane, WA-based Commuter Cars is helping to change that with the Tango, an all-electric car slightly wider than a motorcycle that can turn a corner on par with a Porsche 911. From Jalopnik: 

“It's a pretty terrifying mix. We drove the thing in the basement of Cobo Hall and it's noteworthy that we didn't kill ourselves. The Tango is so fast you'll find yourself unable to turn the wheel fast enough to steer through a corner, even though the tires will handle the speed and you can't tell if the brakes will save your ass from leaving a very narrow dent in front of the Mercedes Benz S400 in front of you.” (1)

Yes, the Tango can rocket to 60mph in 4 seconds and run the 1/4 mile in 12 seconds at over 120mph. Top speed is said to be 135mph but Jalopnik reports that the gearing can be tweaked to allow speeds of 200mph. 

200mph, in a 39” wide vehicle. 

Although the Tango may sound like a deadly mixture of narrow stance and overwhelming power, the trick to its stability is under the floorboards, where 2,000lbs (mostly batteries) and additional ballast helped it score a NHTSA 5-star equivalent static rollover threshold rating. That boils down to 1.5g’s on the skid pad, or as Jalopnik described it: Scary. 

Perhaps sensing the fear, the Tango is equipped with a race car roll cage designed by Prodrive, which was submitted to FIA (Federation Internationale de L’Automobile) certification testing. It passed, meaning the Tango cage meets the requirements for racecars traveling upwards of 200mph. The body itself is made of 100% carbon fiber/epoxy panels weighing just 25lbs - the same stuff found on Formula One cars. 

But let’s talk range and charge time. The Tango packs enough juice to make it 40-200 miles on the freeway depending on the battery selection. For extended trips, a generator trailer running on any fuel can be towed behind, giving it the range of a gasoline car. To fully charge, the Lead-Acid pack takes approximately 2 hours. Charging to 80% from a 200amp station can take just 10 minutes (see commutercars.com for details). 

Celebrity owners of the Tango include one-man rat pack George Clooney. All purchasers of the car are insured with a 10-year, unlimited mileage warranty… In addition to the roll cage. 


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Sources:

(1) http://jalopnik.com/5446365/commuter-cars-tango-first-drive
(2) http://www.commutercars.com/contact.html
(3) Picture: http://www.commutercars.com/contact.html

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