While the likes of Audi and Infiniti were unveiling their new electric concept cars at the Monterey Car Week, another company decided to drop its own EV prototype—at the ARMY-2018 International Military-Technical Forum in Russia. Not your usual automotive launch venue by any means, but that’s because the company in question isn't even a carmaker.
We're talking about Kalashnikov, the Russian firm behind the AK-47 assault rifle. And what you see here, according to the official company statement, is an "electric supercar" concept known as the Kalashnikov CV-1, the latest Tesla rival.
Yes, that's how this retro-futuristic pastel-blue thing with white wheels was officially described. "We are developing our own concept of an electric supercar based on several original systems created by the [company]," Kalashnikov told Sputnik International. "This technology will allow us to stand in line with the world's electric car manufacturers, like Tesla, and compete with them. We were inspired by the experience of world market leaders when creating our concept."
The CV-1 concept is based on the Izh 2125 Kombi, which produced from the '70s to the '90s. The nominal power of the electric motor (or motors—the company didn't dish out much by way of specs) is 220kW, and maximum power is said to be 500kW. Acceleration from nil to 100kph takes around 6sec. On a full charge, the CV-1 can manage up to 350km.
This isn't the first time Kalashnikov has dabbled in EV production. Of note, it has built electric motorcycles for police use, and last year, it created a battery-powered quadcopter. Just for fun, we hope.
The company's latest civilian e-buggy and e-motorcycle were also launched alongside the CV-1 this week, but what really stood out—and not for the right reasons—was a walking robot concept dubbed Igorek or 'Little Igor.' Makes you wonder how Kalashnikov's designers come up with these concepts—maybe they've got a vodka dispenser at the office pantry or something.
