4. Eliica
Another crazy wheel configuration comes from Japan in form of the Eliica electric car, which debuted in 2004. This vehicle features eight wheels, four in the front and four in the back. Interestingly, each wheel has its own electric engine to power it. The four front wheels are for turning. However, since all eight are powered, the main computer decides which wheel will get more power according to road conditions.
The Eliica project is the brainchild of the design team at Keio University in Tokyo. The team wanted to explore the future of fully electric passenger cars. Like almost all fully electric cars, the Eliica has impressive acceleration figures. It can achieve 60 mph in just 4.0 seconds and top 370 km/h.
The eight-wheel configuration offers additional stability at high speeds. And testing on the Nardo track proved just that. Unfortunately, because eight wheels require a lot of space and the car needs a lot of batteries, the Eliica is heavy at almost 2.5 tons. Since the introduction of the original Eliica concept 13 years ago, the electric car market has evolved.
And despite the great performance, this eight-wheeler is too expensive, strange and heavy for commercial production. The design team continues to improve the original concept. However, no one knows if the Eliica will ever see full-scale production, in limited numbers, at least.