Entrepreneur Don Panoz, founder of the Panoz motorsport and sports car brand, as well as the DeltaWing project, is back with yet another automotive startup, this time focused on electric car development.
The new startup is called Green4U Technologies, and on Thursday it unveiled an electric race car concept on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Called the Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV, the race car features a central structure to support its batteries, and hung on the side of this is the driver’s seat. On the opposing side, the batteries can be swapped in and out quickly, for example during pit stops.
Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV race car
Proposed specs include peak power of 600 horsepower, a top speed of 180 mph, and a range of 90-110 miles in race conditions. The car is designed to run an electric motor at either axle for all-wheel drive, and these would be used to recapture energy under braking. The targeted weight including the battery is 2,750 pounds.
In a statement, Don Panoz, chairman and founder of Green4U, said racing the Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV, possibly even as a Garage 56 experimental entry in Le Mans, will help aid the development of the company’s future road cars.
Green4U is hinting that a road-going version of the race car could be launched and has released some renderings showing a tandem, two-seat configuration.
Green 4U Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
You won’t have to wait long to see a Green4U model on sale. The company plans to introduce electric city and minibus models by late 2017. One of these is a tiny hatch called the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle.
Panoz appears to be quite serious about bringing to market environmentally-friendly vehicles. He was previously looking to develop a road car utilizing his DeltaWing design.
The DeltaWing project has now, along with the Panoz brand, been acquired by Green4U. As a result, Green4U has plenty of motorsports development, engineering and manufacturing expertise and capabilities under its belt.
