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: Pininfarina B0, an electric vehicle set for production in late 2009, debuted at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.
Pininfarina

: Pininfarina teamed with French battery company Bolloré Group to build the four-passenger, four-door hatchback.
Pininfarina

: The look of the B0 is clean and spare, with solar panels on the roof and hood adding visual interest.
Pininfarina

: The car will use batteries and super capacitors developed and manufactured by Bolloré.
Pininfarina

: Batteries are rechargeable on household current and give a 150-mile range between charges.
Pininfarina

: Unlike many cars bearing the Pininfarina name, the B0 has a top speed of 80 mph and a 0-37-mph time of 6.3 seconds.
Pininfarina

2008 Paris Auto Show: Pininfarina B0

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PARIS — Pininfarina said it will partner with the Bolloré Group of France to produce a version of the B0 electric vehicle it unveiled here at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. The four-passenger, four-door hatchback is slated to go into production in Turin in late 2009.

The Pininfarina-Bolloré joint venture will use batteries and super capacitors developed and manufactured by Bolloré in France and Canada.

Housed under the vehicle floor between the axles, the lithium-metal-polymer (LMP) batteries can be recharged in several hours from household current and are said to provide a range between charges of more than 150 miles. Top speed is to be electronically limited to 80 mph, with 0-37-mph acceleration said to take 6.3 seconds.

Pininfarina has created a clean, modern hatchback body that features solar panels on the roof and hood to help recharge the batteries. In addition, super capacitors designed and supplied by Bolloré will help store and recycle energy generated under braking.

No word yet on price.

What this means to you: It's an ambitious plan. But it's also an attractive car. Let's see how well the technology actually works. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent