A High Performance Zinc-Air Powered Electric Vehicle

Arizona Public Service (APS) has joined Southern California Edison (SCE) in sponsoring construction of a high performance Electric Vehicle based on a Honda CRX using DEMI's proprietary rechargeable Zinc-Air battery technology.

The Zinc-Air CRX went 215 miles (346 km) on a single charge in its first test at an average speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) (SAE “D” cycle) and demonstrated a top speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). At the Inaugural Solar and Electric (S&E) 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway April 5-7, 1991, the CRX set a national record for a 1-mile closed course at 69.44 mph (112 km/h). The car won the pole position and dominated the 2 hour race winning by a comfortable 4-lap margin against a field of 12 other EVs from all over the United States.

This paper covers the results of vehicle testing to date and the car's battery and electrical subsystems.