Wrightspeed
Wrightspeed X1
Revo Powertrains is an electric vehicle powertrain company based in Alameda, California. It was created by Tesla co-founder Ian Wright.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All Wrightspeed X1 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →
Products
The Wrightspeed Route is a plug and play repower kit for commercial trucks. It is a high-power medium-duty vehicle powertrain that uses electric drive with an onboard power station for efficiency and range. This is a series hybrid retrofit kit for trucks. The kit includes controls, 200 kW inverter, electric motors, gearbox with clutchless shifting, battery pack, battery management system, and LCD user interface. Medium-duty trucks in the US are defined as vehicles with gross vehicle weights of 4,500–11,800 kg (10,001–26,000 lb). Founder Ian Wright discusses motivations for building truck powertrains in a TedX Talk and Unfiltered interview. Wrightspeed X1. The Wrightspeed X1 is a one-off Ariel Atom heavily modified to use an all-electric powertrain. The Atom was chosen for its light weight and efficient design. The electric motor and inverter are sourced from AC Propulsion, makers of the TZero concept car, while the batteries are low weight, high energy density lithium ion provided from A123 Systems. As with the Atom the transmission is a Honda unit, but stripped of its shifting mechanism and other parts to provide only the second gear speed, allowed by the wide speed and torque range available from the electric motor. Built by San Francisco-based New Zealand engineer Ian Wright, the X1 created a stir when it bested several sports cars in a drag race, including a Carrera GT (even with a rolling start, an advantage for the gas burning vehicles), all while being filmed by local news station KRON 4. Despite the impressive performance, the vehicle is intended only as a proof of concept. Future production is planned; however, according to the website, "... the production car will be quite different, since it will meet the safety standards, which the prototype does not. It wi
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- X1 Prototype
- Manufacturer
- Wrightspeed
- Production
- None, prototype only
- Class
- Roadster
- Body style
- Open wheel roadster
- Layout
- Rear mid-motor, rear-wheel drive
- Platform
- Ariel Atom
- Transmission
- Single gear ratio 8.25:1 (no clutch)
- Wheelbase
- 2345 mm / 92.3 in
- Length
- 3410 mm / 134.25 in
- Width
- 1798 mm / 70.8 in
- Height
- 1195 mm / 47.0 in
- Kerb weight
- 697 kg / 1536 lb
- Related
- Ariel Atom, tzero
- Designer
- Ian Wright
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1502756CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revo_PowertrainsCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1320035476 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WrightspeedOverview4881.jpgCC SA 1.0 · Photo: User Leonard G. on en.wikipedia · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.