This evening Phoenix Motorcars held their second of two public events unveiling what they’re calling simply the “Sport Utility Truck” or SUT. The first was in LA; this one was in Dallas where several AustinEV members travelled to catch the show. What we saw was indeed a pickup truck with seating for 5, and there is also an almost identical SUV version in the works. I was pretty impressed with the vehicle in general, but was disappointed by some of the things the presenters were saying about it.

When I arrived, things had just gotten started, and I got out my camera and took as many pictures of their first white prototype as I could in the fading sunlight. This was difficult, as the vehicle was only around for brief moments as eager test-drivers switched out and the vehicle would leave again for another trip around the block. I took a number and waited for my turn, and it was well after dark when I got my chance. Fortunately, there was another in the showroom, and after the “unveiling” the crowd was invited to take pictures, climb inside, and check things out.

The good points: This was a solid-feeling, low-compromise vehicle. Inside, the interior was all high-quality black leather, with all the stuff you’d expect and nothing that made you sigh and think “oh well, maybe in a few years these things will improve”. There was nothing that felt really cheap or shoddy — this was a vehicle that didn’t take any effort to like. The driving experience was more of the same. With generally crisp acceleration and good handling, the vehicle felt like a typical pickup truck, not like a heavy lead-acid powered EV. Braking was competent, being aided by regenerative braking from the motor (more about that in a moment). Pleasing to the eye both inside and out, I could see this being a success as a gas-powered vehicle with the same features and capabilities. As an EV, I hope it becomes an example of how electric transportation can integrate into normal mainstream life.

Interesting features include Phoenix’s deviation from what seems to be the trend these days of licensing the powertrain from AC Propulsion as Venturi and Tesla have done. Phoenix has instead chosen UQM’s brushless motor and controller technology, as is made clear by a quick glance under the hood. While they’re not as vocal about their choice of motor, the presenters were certainly emphatic about their choice of battery — Altairnano’s new high-performance lithium titanium oxide chemistry with nano-structured electrodes.

The iffy points: Acceleration was pretty good in the 30-50mph area, but at low speed I found it wanting for torque. The truck has no selectable gears so it’s stuck permanently in something probably equivalent to 3rd gear. Flooring it from a dead stop, you only feel the vehicle start to really pull after about 20 mph or so, and this may be because people are used to the sensation of more acceleration at slower speeds and lower gears. Also, for some reason they chose to enable regeneration automatically when releasing the throttle, instead of integrating it with the brake pedal. I believe this should be a user-definable option (as in the Toyota Prius), but I could learn to live with it as-is, especially if the vehicle has cruise control. It did take some getting used to — at higher speeds, releasing the throttle suddenly would cause the regenerative braking to instantly throw everyone in the vehicle forward in their seats.

The not-so-good points: While I didn’t find many negative points about the truck itself — it’s a great vehicle, I would be proud to own one — I did find some of the things that were said about it to be a bit questionable. At the beginning of the unveiling ceremony, the speaker commented about how this vehicle was different from typical EVs seen today, the conversions that people like myself make in their garages because EVs can’t yet be bought at dealerships for affordable prices. He claimed that it was instead a purpose-built custom electric vehicle, and the truth of the matter is apparently a bit different. The truck is based on a Korean pickup originally built as a gas vehicle (I’m trying to find pictures of it for comparison), and the evidence can be seen all around.

First, a big no-no for scratch-built EVs is the radiator grille and full-size radiator. When converting a vehicle as we do, and as Ford did with their electric Ranger, you tend to keep the radiator grille and radiator for liquid cooling of the controller, just because it’s already there and it’s easy. But if you’re designing an EV from a clean sheet of paper, you make the front smooth like GM did with the EV1 and mount the (much smaller) radiator somewhere else, to eliminate the significant aero drag of having a big hole in the front of the vehicle. A liquid-cooled EV’s radiator doesn’t need to be very big, and it doesn’t need a huge amount of airflow (for a counter argument, see below). Additional signs of a simple retrofit of electric parts into a gas vehicle included the forward/reverse selector that I know I’ve seen before from a major online EV parts supplier (KTA Services?), the electro-hydraulic power steering pump from a Toyota MR2, and the somewhat clumsy construction of the battery platform, held under the frame rails without any attempt at sealing against airflow and weather.

I’ve been told that both of the vehicles presented today were prototypes, and that the production vehicle will be different in many ways. The super high power 480VAC 3-phase chargers (which would only be feasible at an commercial/industrial site) that are supposedly capable of charging this vehicle in 10 minutes were nowhere to be found. Also not in attendance was a functional DC/DC converter, hence the unreasonably large starter battery in the engine bay.

Ed Begley was there to support the unveiling of the truck, and he’s definitely no stranger to the scene — he’s been driving electric vehicles since the 1970s. He claimed that this is the highest-performance EV he’s ever driven, which makes me wonder — did he never get the chance to drive the EV1, which had better acceleration? In his defense, he did make it a point to emphasize the top speed of this vehicle, which comes out a little better than the EV1 (95 vs. 80mph).

I’ve given some criticism here, but it’s not intended to cast a dark cloud over the event, Phoenix Motorcars or their Sport Utility Truck. I had a great time there, and if I had the money to spend, I’d be very happy to own one of these vehicles when they’re available. It’s extremely comfortable and roomy inside, the interior, dash and controls are ergonomically and thoughtfully laid out, the performance of the vehicle is strong, fun and stable, fit and finish of the bodywork is top notch, and in addition to carrying 5 people it is indeed a real pickup truck capable of hauling a load — no batteries-in-the-bed copout here. The Phoenix SUT may be a conversion of a gas-powered vehicle, but it’s no garage-built rolling experiment. The resources and funding that Phoenix has poured into the truck have really created something that shares every bit of the visual and behavioral refinement of any other well-made modern car. Suspension, steering, weight balance … Phoenix has done their homework, and on the uneven, poorly-maintained streets of Dallas this evening, it really showed.

Since initially writing this review, I’ve realized there are some contradictions and unclear points about the radiator grille. First, the motor and controller on the EV1 and on all EVs using the AC Propulsion drivetrain are air cooled. Second and more confusingly, the Tesla Roadster (which I believe is a truly scratch-built EV design) also has a grille that dominates much of the frontal area of the car — though it evidently didn’t start out that way. I cannot explain this choice, though it may be to provide more airflow for air conditioning. Even so I can’t help feeling that there should be a better way than an open grille in the front of the vehicle.

Pictures are in the gallery; it may take me some time to provide labels and descriptions, so check back if you see a lot of blank ones.

UPDATE: Mark Farver found the original vehicle, the SsangYong Musso Sports. It’s clear that Phoenix has supplied some custom parts, including a new front fascia (updated, see below) and new interior details (the seats, for example). Interestingly, this makes the vehicle comparable to the Isuzu Hombre that is the basis for my project — the Hombre is a GM vehicle with a few body panels supplied by Isuzu. Farver also points out the interesting appearance of the Musso Sports at the 2005 EDTA conference, as a low speed NEV produced by a different company.

UPDATE 2: A sharp reader has pointed out that the vehicle is not based on the Musso, but rather its replacement model called the Actyon. The Phoenix SUT is a conversion of the SsangYong Actyon Sports, and the pending SUV variant will be a conversion of the Actyon SUV. More than anything else, this shows how little redesign was actually done by Phoenix. This is pretty much a straight-up conversion, albeit a conversion done with some pretty cool and spendy technology in the brushless motor and lithium battery pack.