Blast-from-the-past Delorean is back with a new Alpha5 electric sports car concept, signalling the company’s plan to enter the fast-growing high-performance EV marketplace.
Despite gullwing doors and a louvred rear deck that pay tribute to the DMC-12 made famous in the Back to the Future movie franchise, the Alpha5 is not simply a modern reincarnation of the DMC-12. The huge doors swing up to reveal a four-seat cabin decked out with the touch-sensitive surfaces that are expected in today’s new vehicles, electric or otherwise.
The dash and its two displays are designed to recall the DMC-12’s layout, only without the blocky shapes that make the older car so easy to identify as a product of the '80s. Delorean’s photos reveal some modern useful touches, like wireless phone charging and a bi-level console topped by what might be twin covered cupholders.
Delorean has revealed few technical details about the Alpha5. It says the production version will have a battery capable of storing at least 100 kWh, enough to promise nearly 500 km of driving range (300+ miles, according to Delorean’s website). Other performance estimates include a 2.99-second zero-to-60-mph (zero-to-96-km/h) acceleration time — the company also cheekily says the Alpha5 will reach 88 mph (141 km/h) in 4.35 seconds — and a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h).
Other claims include a 0.23 coefficient of drag, which would rank the Alpha5 among the most aerodynamic EVs you can buy today, behind the Mercedes-Benz EQS, Tesla Model S, and Lucid Air. Should the Alpha5 make it to production – and should it pull off making the showroom-ready version as aero-slippery as the concept you see here – the car would likely boast good energy efficiency ratings, but Delorean has given us no clues as to what those estimates might be.
Delorean says it will have more news later this summer about when the roadgoing Alpha5 will go on sale, an announcement that might come around the time the car is displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August.
