Slovenj Gradec, 08 April (STA) - Austrian-Slovenian company Tushek Supercars presented the world's lightest hybrid car, TS 900 Apex sports car, in Slovenj Gradec on Monday. It plans to launch a small-scale production of the hybrid in 2020, expectedly in Maribor.
Tushek Supercars, based in Austria's Graz, has already received 12 orders for the new car, mostly from Europe, but also the Middle East and China.
The interested parties include investors, collectors, car enthusiasts and athletes. The hybrid's basic price is estimated at 1.2 million euro.
The company has been developing the sport hybrid or hyper car for 12 years, creating a vehicle that "does not follow the trends, but sets them".
A model of the hybrid was put on display in front of the Faculty of Polymer Technology in the Slovenian town of Slovenj Gradec today.
The faculty and the company also signed today an agreement on development cooperation to optimise materials testing results, improve research methods and obtain funding.
The TS 900 Apex is currently considered the lightest hybrid in the world, weighting 1,440 kg counting all equipment and liquids, said the co-founder of the company and the hybrid's constructor Aljoša Tušek.
Tušek, a former Slovenian racer, explained that weight was essential for energy-efficiency, with the weight of hybrid cars batteries being the most challenging part of the equation.
He pointed out that the hybrid was lighter by a few hundreds of kilos than all the comparable cars because of more efficient materials, particularly carbon.
He said their car would never exceed the limit of 1,500 kg. "Only this ensures a good communication between the driver and the car, enabling us to call the latter a sports car."
The type-approval of the vehicle is expected to be granted in the coming months.
The hybrid was showcased in Italy last week, with a special presentation being scheduled for Monaco in May 2019.
The project employs 12 to 14 people, with the majority of them working as external contractors. Launching the production, the company's goal is have 20 employees.
Tushek Supercars cooperates with many domestic and foreign faculties and R&D centres.
Most of the hybrid's development process was undertaken by the company itself, with the Slovenian manufacturer Emrax producing the electric motor. AVL, an Austria company developing, simulating and testing powertrain systems, also contributed to the creation.
It took more than 30,000 hours of work to produce the presented model.