At Epic EV, we're working harder than ever to deliver the best possible high performance, safe and reliable EVs on the market. It hasn't been an easy task and we have learned that having a passionate team that loves what they do will help inspire and shape an amazing product.
The Torq has been a focus of ours since we started building the initial prototype almost two years ago. The Epic team was so happy with the first prototype, we knew we were onto something big.
So let's take a trip down memory lane, time for show and tell!
Phase 1 - from sketches to cardboard.
In 2009, CEO Chris Anthony had been toying with an the idea of building an affordable, aggressively styled high performance 3 wheeler that could be suited for the road and track. "I often found myself longing for a more aggressive Aptera. The platform seemed to handle so nicely when we had the first steel mule that I thought that three wheels could make for the perfect sport platform. After I started Flux Power I then had an excuse to show off our batteries in something "hot". That was really what caused this new performance three wheeler to be created." recalled Anthony.
As the idea developed Anthony recruited a former collegue from Aptera, Reed Schmidt, who had a background in design. The two sat down and began coming up with inititial designs. The drawing below were the selections from many.
After the above sketches were selected, then it was time for Anthony and Schmidt to take to the computer focusing on a T type chassis that would allow for mounting front suspension with a battery tunnel behind and center to increase performance. Also the design allowed the team to think about future enclosed versions.
Next it was time for the physical mock up. If you have a huge budget, you can spend a lot of money on this process, but if you're strapped like most companies nowadays, getting crafty with some scissors, duct tape, and wood can get the job done at a fraction of the cost. Schmidt and Mike Stewart got to work crafting the mockup. Looks like something from a box car derby?
"it was key to visualize the vehicle in 3D. To place the seat, mock-up the battery and motor packaging, etc to see if it actually was going to work. Mike (Epic) worked on the wood structure while I started to cut/form and bend cardboard to replicate the bent aluminum body panels we were hoping to use. Chris had been ordering all sorts of parts that he thought would work for the vehicle, so we had headlights, taillights, seats, wheels and many other smaller components to use in the mock-up. It was a great experience because things like seat height, placement of steering wheel and many other design questions were able to be sorted out." says Schmidt.
The team worked long and tirelessly revising the design before moving onto the process of fabricating the actual roadster. Having the physical mockup was a huge help and kept the team motivated through some of the more challenging aspects of the roaster build.
The build team partnered up with Magnum Off-Road to build the chassis and fabricate the metal work. After the rolling chassis was complete, Mike (Epic) installed the Epic EV built and sourced drivetrain. Using a 9" DC brushed motor, a 1,000 amp motor controller, 3.3 KWh charger and Flux Power Lithium batteries he put together a bare-bones but powerful/durable drivetrain. The first drive was filled with tire smoke, fast corners and an M3 looking at the rear tire through our short make shift track.
Then it was on to testing which included top speed sans body panels, 0-60 and overall drivability. While testing, fabrication of the bent aluminum body panels began. For this the team turned to a hot rod design shop in Southern California. Renderings and mockups helped breathe the phase one TORQ concept vehicle to life. Shortly after the TORQ concept was complete, pictures of the vehicle made it to the major media channels. The excitement around the vehicle help secure the to move onto a production design.
Stay tuned for phase 2 !
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