The Maker of the AK-47 Is Entering the Electric Car Market

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-24/kalashnikov-takes-aim-at-electric-cars-with-retro-prototype

by Ibethewalrus • 8 years ago

77 94 8 years ago

I think a cursory investigation will show this is more likely just the company trying to show something to correspond to the large capital injection it is about to receive from "investors" / cronies. (speculation, but look at that thing ...)

madeuptempacct3• 8 years ago

This is the only plausible explanation to me as well.

sgt2• 8 years ago

I expect it to be reliable electric car with plenty clearance between any kind of moving parts, and that the electric motor never jams. But if it does jam (which it will), it must be easy to take a part with a 10mm wrench.

vorpalhex• 8 years ago

It'll be half the price of the fancy American version, it'll be repairable in a cave with nothing more than basic welding equipment and every single country will make their own slightly modified version of it.

rlonstein• 8 years ago

No one can ever find 10mm when they need it. It'll come with a stamped steel armorer's multi-tool that will include a 10mm box wrench on one end.

sgt2• 8 years ago

That made me laugh. And I was just looking for my 10mm in the garage. I found a 9mm, a 11mm, a 12mm, a 13mm, but no 10mm. I think someone borrowed it.

avaku• 8 years ago

My uncle in the 80s had the same car, with all the same craftsmanship, including door handles etc. The only thing new in this design are the front lights, and you can see they are of pretty low quality, crooked lines etc. This would be one of the state funded projects, where most of money will be stolen, again.

lnsru2• 8 years ago

In this article: “...CV-1 on a 1970s Soviet hatchback, the IZh 2125 "Kombi"...” I would say, it’s bigger challenge for them to create modern car, than an electric one.

mladenkovacevic2• 8 years ago

I don't know.. that chassis is the best looking thing on this car... can I just get that with a regular combustion engine and without the shitty headlight kit?

bdz• 8 years ago

Looks like the good old Lada 2105

dchest2• 8 years ago

It's Izh Kombi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izh_2125

Lada 2105 is a derivative of Fiat 124. This Izh is a pure Soviet creation (based on Moskvitch model).

ascii_only2• 8 years ago

Izh based on Moskvich 412. Which is derivative of Opel Kadett B.

sizzzzlerz• 8 years ago

No doubt you'll be able to buy cheap knock-offs in certain 3rd world street markets and bazaars within a month.

nacs• 8 years ago

Mass production of electric car components wouldn't be such a bad thing..

bonestamp2• 8 years ago

Agreed, if they do it right. The big risk is that many knock-off electronics use questionable components and methodologies that can lead to fires when you mix that with the level of current needed for an electric car.

ascii_only2• 8 years ago

Fun fact. This electrocar is based on Moskvich 412. Which was already knock-off of opel cadet.

https://i1.wp.com/neznal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/msk-4...

nasredin2• 8 years ago

It's recursive Soviet iterations of a one copy of a shitty European car all the way down bro.

"The IZh 2125 "Kombi" (Russian: ИЖ-2125 Комби, short for "combination") is a compact car produced by the Soviet car manufacturer IZh from 1973 to 1997.[1] It was based on an Izhevsk-modified Moskvitch 412..."

r3bl• 8 years ago

Non-AMP version: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-24/kalashnik...

sctb• 8 years ago

Thanks, updated!

ObsoleteNerd• 8 years ago

There's so much wrong with this car there's absolutely no way it goes to market.

It's a publicity stunt or a one off modified car for brand awareness. Not a production model.

It's an old car with some cheap eBay headlights stick on (I had those lights on a modified motorcycle I built up), cheap aftermarket wheels, dumped suspension so low the front wheels won't turn. It has the original mechanical door handles, front end fab work is atrocious and nothing lines up right.

Just like SEMA cars, this was just made to provide some pretty photos and spread some PR.

elFarto• 8 years ago

Are those front tyres even on the right way, they look backwards?

ummonk• 8 years ago

Those look like symmetric tires to me, not directional tires.

coldtea• 8 years ago

There's so much wrong with this car there's absolutely no way it goes to market.

You've obviously are not familiar with a long and proud history of communist-made vehicles just like that that served their "market" for decades (e.g. the Trabant)...

falcolas2• 8 years ago

If the car is affordable and reliable, why wouldn't it go to market? Mechanical door handles, sure they aren't pretty, but they can be maintained by anyone with basic tools.

Not every electric car needs to be shiny and expensive.

martythemaniak2• 8 years ago

Soviet cars were "reliable" in the sense that yes, they broke down very often and in predictable ways, so that most people could fix them.

MichaelMoser123• 8 years ago

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-autoshow-china-electr... here it says that Chinese companies are producing cheap electric cars for their home market - maybe not as cool as Tesla, but way cheaper.

GW150914• 8 years ago

Definitely. Keep in mind they also recently unveiled this gem: https://taskandpurpose.com/kalashnikov-killer-robot-russia/

Publicity stunt for sure, and probably just trying to show they’re building something other than another slight mod on the AK-47 while flooded with oligarch lucre.

pluto9• 8 years ago

One thing's for sure, they definitely aren't trying to win any design awards.

sampo• 8 years ago

Also, in the second photo here you can see what seems to be a drive shaft. An odd detail for an electric car.

https://imgur.com/a/RYS7h0i

pureliquidhw• 8 years ago

Could be a single electric motor driving the 2 wheels through a differential.

This site has pictures of 2 motors that would fit in in the transmission tunnel, leading me to believe they would attach to a traditional drive shaft. http://www.nedra.com/build.html

Cursory search didn't bring up any undercarriage images to prove my theory.

This is a concept, I'm not sure the engineering for 4 motors to work in unison is as easy as using some conventional drivetrain stuff and just swapping the power plant 1:1.

cpursley2• 8 years ago

I don't know. The Lada Niva is still going strong and outperforms many modern 4x4s and can be purchased new for under $10k USD. This might actually be a good strategy to get cheap reliable electric transportation to the people. Not everyone needs or can afford a self-crashing Tesla.

LyndsySimon3• 8 years ago

can be purchased new for under $10k USD

Certainly not in the US. If I'm wrong in that assertion, please let me know, because I'd be very tempted to buy one.

projectramo• 8 years ago

This seems like a ploy to confuse people who like to filter their investment decisions through a political lens.

fhood• 8 years ago

Nothing screams quality like designing your car along the lines of some of the worst cars ever produced.

Viliam1234• 8 years ago

Maybe the goal, just like with AK-47, is to kill a lot of people.

m-i-l• 8 years ago

My first thought was - why not go one step further and put a modern battery in an original electric vehicle from the 1970s like the Enfield 800 [0]? Then on reading the Enfield 800 wikipedia page I find there's a hobbyist doing just that [1].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_8000

[1] http://www.flux-capacitor.co.uk

WorldMaker• 8 years ago

After being profiled about this car on Robert Llewellyn's Fully Charged (YouTube show) [0][1], Johnny Smith eventually joined Fully Charged as a regular co-host, and his enthusiasm for both classic electric and modern electric cars is infectious, and fun to watch.

[0] http://www.fullychargedshow.co.uk/ [1] https://www.youtube.com/user/fullychargedshow

mikestew2• 8 years ago

Following the fine tradition of such companies as British Small Arms, or as your granddad knew them, BSA: maker of fine British motorcycles.

Er, wait. BSA went out of business. Not a great precedent for those wishing to transition from firearms to motor vehicles. And from the looks of that thing, they'll follow BSA's trail right to the end.

bootlooped• 8 years ago

Husqvarna and Saab are two good examples of weapons companies making motor vehicles. I'm not saying Kalashnikov Concern will or won't follow that path though.

mikestew2• 8 years ago

Well, Saab still at least makes military equipment.

Husqvarna? TIL that their logo is a gun sight. :-)

Y_Y• 8 years ago

Skoda and Porsche come to mind. I bet most heavy industry has done a stint in both depending on which way the wind was blowing.

jaclaz• 8 years ago

Well, Saab was closed (their car manufacturing operation) then was re-bought, re-closed and now makes EV's with the NEVS brand (or maybe not):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile

https://electrek.co/2018/04/11/didi-massive-electric-car-nev...

LyndsySimon3• 8 years ago

It goes the other way, too. I have a rifle (an M1 Carbine) made by General Motors.

pwaai• 8 years ago

I have never seen anything with "Made in Russia" on it. What happens when nobody wants their oil?

madeuptempacct3• 8 years ago

They lease you land.

But I really can't think of anything produced in Russia besides weapons, rockets, and nuclear powerplants.

jabl• 8 years ago

My country is full of Russian machinery equipment (lathes etc.), as a result of clearing trade during the cold war. Not as precise as the Western stuff at the time, but usable. And, well, we've got em' by the ton..

parliament32• 8 years ago

About 50% of Russia's exports are oil-based, but they also export a significant amount materials from mining and logging, as well as food and refined chemicals.

See the Exports chart here: https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/rus/

supergirl2• 8 years ago

where do you live? obviously you wouldn't see any russian things in US for many reasons...

zrobotics• 8 years ago

They are some of the only people still making sidecar motorcycles. Not the greatest quality, but fun to drive.

https://www.imz-ural.com/

alleskleber• 8 years ago

I recently came across replacement electron tubes for guitar amplifiers that were "Made in Russia" by a company of the name Sovtek.

Seems like Sovtek is part of a US cooperation (New Sensor) these days. The tubes are still "Made in Russia", though.

igravious• 8 years ago

“Russia is the 16th largest export economy in the world. In 2016, Russia exported $269B and imported $180B, resulting in a positive trade balance of $88.6B. In 2016 the GDP of Russia was $1.28T and its GDP per capita was $24.8k.”

vasili1115• 8 years ago

Take a look at the composition of the export. What part of it high tech?

Grue3• 8 years ago

See Venezuela. Except with nuclear weapons.

ghobs91• 8 years ago

They'll collapse into a 3rd world country unless they modernize and diversify their economy.

growlist• 8 years ago

I love it, finish aside. Contemporary car design leaves me cold. I'd much prefer a return to the boxy style of the 80s, or this slightly curved box style of the 70s (yes yes I know, safety regs etc prevent it...)

wilsonnb32• 8 years ago

Agreed. Personally, I think car design peaked with the Volvo 240.

It's just so majestic. Especially in bright colors like orange.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/19...

lightbyte• 8 years ago

Taste is very subjective. I'm glad they don't make cars like that Volvo anymore, it's probably the ugliest looking thing I've ever seen.

vram22• 8 years ago

I really liked a Honda Accord design that I saw several years ago on the road. No picture though.

geoka9• 8 years ago

They also make a next-gen tank that doesn't go under its own power[1], a next-gen fighter that nobody wants[2] and a nuclear-powered missile with a reactor that never starts[3]. Not to mention conventional cars that people are happy to ditch as soon as they save enough money for a used foreign one.

I wouldn't worry if I were Tesla.

[1]https://www.smh.com.au/world/russias-t14-armata-tank-breaks-...

[2]http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20347/its-no-surprise-i...

[3]https://taskandpurpose.com/russia-lost-nuclear-cruise-missil...

gmiller123456• 8 years ago

The Maker of the AK-47

Should be "A" maker of the AK-47. The AK-47 is an open design and anyone can make it. I know there was an attempt to trademark the name a few years ago, but there's still lots of companies using the name.

flyingfences• 8 years ago

To be fair, though, Kalashnikov Concern, formerly IzhMash, is the canonical descendant of the AK heritage.

vasili1115• 8 years ago

Other factories in ex-Soviet Union have technical documentation and the right to produce AK of different modifications.

dingaling• 8 years ago

And no-one in former-USSR and its successors has made a '47 since the AKM replaced it in 1959.

Yugoslavia continued with the original design for some time but most other armies were keen on the 1kg weight reduction of the new model.

vasili1115• 8 years ago

AK is that it is already produced in large quantities and is in big numbers in ex-Soviet Union republic military warehouses. Just no need to produce additional ones.

trumped• 8 years ago

Here is a non-amp link... it loads much faster for me: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-24/kalashnik...

wereHamster• 8 years ago

The car doesn't particularly aerodynamic. Why would someone waste that much energy nowadays?

hfdgiutdryg• 8 years ago

If you're driving mostly city streets with heavy traffic, I don't think aerodynamics is a big concern. But mostly I'm sure it's just a non-functional design meant to grab headlines.

ldiracdelta• 8 years ago

Do I get to be a Bond villain if I buy one?

JakeTyo• 8 years ago

Builds smartphone from Adafruit parts.

This baby's gonna give Apple a run for their money!

TACIXAT• 8 years ago

I love the front of this thing but the back is absolutely hideous [1]. I'd be vying for one if it was a flat hatchback.

1. https://images.carscoops.com/2018/08/cbfacc26-kalashnikov-cv...

wilsonnb32• 8 years ago

I like it. I'm a big fan of cars that look very unique, even if they are also hideous.

ArchTypical• 8 years ago

Just because they make the AK-47, doesn't mean they know anything about mechanical innovation or even vehicular engineering. They definitely don't know anything about marketing from the look of the car.

Sharlin• 8 years ago

They're trying to tap into the Soviet nostalgia that's surprisingly prevalent in Russia.

vasili1115• 8 years ago

It is just Russian propaganda for internal use as with Russian Operating System, Russian smartphone and Russian tablet.

vasili1115• 8 years ago

Even AK-47 is not solely Soviet innovation.

LyndsySimon3• 8 years ago

Nope, not entirely. There are lots of stories that credit Hugo Schmeisser for at least part of the mechanism.

More importantly, the Soviets developed the tactics around the use of light automatic weapons by infantry squads.

mv4• 8 years ago

It's not particularly hard to make an electric car (there are plenty of DIY projects).

It is, however, extremely hard to make an electric car that's safe, ergonomic, attractive - and also performs well.

As much as I admire the original AK-47 design, I don't believe the firm is capable of making electric cars. Or robots.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-45282805

h4b4n3r0• 8 years ago

It’s a gag car. Bloomberg should know better.

The Maker of the AK-47 Is Entering the Electric Car Market

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