'Deep Orange' Concept Cars Makes Splash at Auto Show

At the “Motorsports on Main” event, engines were roaring and cars were making all sorts of sounds, in attempts to stand out of the crowd. But one car did so without even trying – the Deep Orange.

This is the first concept car created by researchers at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, and it's indeed a sight to behold.

Unlike all V8's and V10's at the auto show, the Deep Orange made no sound whatsoever, and that's because it is powered by high-technology lithium-polymer batteries.

What makes this car stand out from other electric vehicles of the same time is the fact that it can get a mileage equivalent to 100 miles per gallon in a normal-fuel vehicle.

The batteries in the car can be recharged by plugging the automobile in a wall socket, or by adding gasoline to a two-cylinder engine, which then produces electricity.

Overall, the car has spectacular performances for an electric vehicle – a range of 20 miles on batteries alone, an overall range of 400 miles, and a top speed of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour).

The Deep Orange vehicle can accelerate from nod to 60 in just 10 seconds, the Clemson team says.

“Our students were truly practicing the art of engineering and had to fight to achieve targets and compromise with each other to make the best product,” explains scientist Paul Venhovens.

He is the BMW Endowed Chair in Automotive Systems Integration at the university, and also the leader of the Deep Orange initiative.

“They worked hard for 12 months and this is the moment to celebrate the achievements,” the experts adds. Students participated as part of the Clemson graduate automotive engineering program.

“Deep Orange integrates research, education and collaboration into one whole,” explains the chairman of the automotive engineering department at the university, Imtiaz Haque.

“It provides industry with an innovation platform that showcases advanced technology and it provides the students with an opportunity to work directly with automotive industry partners to innovate and to develop projects,” he goes on to say.

The premiere Deep Orange car was converted from the existing body and chassis of a BMW car.

“The scope of the experience that Deep Orange provides our students will make them very attractive to the automotive industry,” Venhovens adds.

“This project requires them to be directly, intimately involved in systems integration with industry partners collaborating and exposes them to the capabilities and limitations of certain technologies,” he concludes.