Pininfarina Sintesi Concept

Pininfarina Sintesi Concept
A plug-in electric car that will be ready for sale by 2010 in Europe, Japan and the U.S.

Legendary Italian design firm Pininfarina has formed a joint-venture with the French Bolloré Group, a major battery producer, to build a plug-in hybrid fuel-cell car that will be ready for sale by 2010 in Europe, Japan and the U.S.

Called Sintesi, the concept offers four seats, four doors and stunning looks in the best Italian tradition. The sleek body has a drag coefficient of just 0.27. Pininfarina said it took a different approach to design that has grown out of the flexible packaging afforded by the electric powertrain. Rather than designing the body around the mechanicals, it has shaped the drivetrain around the passengers. This approach is called “liquid packaging,” which frees the car from traditional shapes, improves weight distribution and lowers the center of gravity.

The various components are distributed around the car, including the lithium-ion batteries and four fuel- cell electric motors positioned near each wheel. The car promises acceleration of 4.8 seconds to 31 mph and a top speed of over 80 mph, according to the makers. City range is claimed to be more than 150 miles, with a full recharge time of five hours; but, if you need only 15 miles of range, just five minutes of charging is needed.