CH-Auto Lithia – flash goes electric, the Chinese way

Sitting in a quiet corner in Auto China 2012 were two electric vehicles from CH-Auto, one presenting a sports car take on the go-green path. The Lithia, as the prototype two-seater Beijing debutant is called, looks sporty enough, even if some of the lines might look a bit borrowed.

It’s powered by an air-cooled AC induction motor offering 201 hp of power with the unit spinning between 7,000 to 8,000 rpm, as well as 220 Nm of torque from 0-5,000 rpm, driving the rear-wheels.

The motor, rated to a maximum 11,000 rpm, gets its juice from a 36 kWh and 106 Ah Li-ion battery pack, and performance figures include a 150 km operating range, a 170 km/h top speed and an under 12 seconds 0-100 km/h sprint time. Not exactly blazing, but hey, it’s an electric.

The 4.5 metre-long Lithia weighs in at 1,600 kg, and normal charge time is seven hours, with fast charging to 80% possible in just 70 minutes. It rides on 215/30, 19-inch front and 245/40 20-inch rear wheels, and features a front disc and rear drum brake system.

Keeping the Lithia company on display was the smart-like fashioned Cylent city car. The 2.85-metre long two-seater features a permanent magnet synchronous motor at the heart of things, and weighs in at a modest 700 kg.

Performance-wise, the Cylent can travel 100 km on a single charge, with a top speed of better than 50 km/h to be had. The 8.5 kWh Li-ion pack can be charged in two hours.