This is the new Veritas RSIII Hybrid sportscar … which (for better or for worse) looks an awful lot like the “regular” Veritas RSIII sportscar it’s based on.
The new Hybrid Veritas is powered by a 600 hp version of the 5.0 liter V10 found in BMW’s M5 sports sedan, which powers the rear wheels. It’s a high-tech piece, but the real electro-trickery happens on the other end of the car, where the front wheels are driven by a 140 hp (105 kW) electric motor, “fueled” by a 500-lb li-ion battery pack. Those batteries, by the way, are enough to power the Veritas in pure electric mode for over 30 miles of around-town driving, with the big V10 barking to life “on-demand” in response to aggressive throttle inputs. The Vertias’ batteries can be charged with a standard outlet, and also charged “on the go” with a KERS-style regenerative braking system that allows the front wheels to help “pull” the car from a dig or out of slow corners, just like its Formula 1 cousins.
Even with the added weight of the batteries and KERS, however, the Veritas tips the scales at a lithe 3800 lbs., enabling 0-60 runs in the low 3-second range – making the Veritas a good deal quicker than most of its supercar rivals.
Veritas’ board has announced plans to unveil an ever-so-slightly more practical coupe version of the car this summer, and a full electric version before 2013.
Source / Photos: Translogic.