The all wheel drive (AWD) four wheel motor Venturi Volage did a few laps of Monte Carlo on the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix track with Prince Ailbert at the wheel this week as it's first public demonstration. The Volage was launched at the 2008 Paris Motor Show and is a technical collaboration between Venturi Automobiles and Michelin.
The Volage uses Michelin “Active Wheel” technology that incorporates two electric motors per wheel, one for drive/brake and the other for suspension so the Volage in fact has a total of eight motors controlled in real time with electronics developed by spearhead electronics.
The active electric shock absorber system allows for constant adjustment to the road surface much like the active suspension systems that dominated Formula One in the 80s. The Volage has a 45 kWh battery pack that gives a range of 200 miles (320 km) and will do 0-60 in less than 5 seconds. Low volume production has been slated to start in 2012.
