There are currently only 12 Tangos in existence worldwide. T600s have been registered for motorway use in California, Washington, the UK, and New Zealand. Please see below for more details on registration.

The only model available at this time is a T600 kit, however, we do have a waiting list for over 2,000 Tangos for future production models at much lower pricing. Automotive manufacturing, especially in such low volume, is extremely expensive, especially when, like the Tango, it cannot be based on many parts from other production cars. For comparison, General Motors spent approximately $1-billion to produce only 1,000 EV-1s, hence a cost of $1-million each. The T600, despite being extremely challenging, in order to fit all of the power, the battery of sufficient range, air conditioning/heat, etc., in such a small space, managed to be built to its current level of development for $240k USD each for all of the components to construct a T600 from the kit. This is a one off price, however, even the current T600, at a slightly higher volume, can be discounted substantially.

 

T600 Kits or Low Volume Production through RAWS

Following is a chart with pricing as it relates to volume and capital required to produce each volume.

Quantity             Price     Capital Required to meet required volume

1   LV-IPA         $240k USD              50% deposit

10  LV-IPA         $200k USD              50% deposit

100 LV-IPA         $100k USD              50% deposit

All above units are Low Volume Scheme for New Vehicles or Ultra-low volume (25 or fewer) for Australia, US kit cars, IVA for the UK, or LVVTA for New Zealand

 

Production Tangos (ADR)

The following pricing is for fully-certified Tangos of lesser power, probably 150kW. The battery pricing is separated from the rest of the car, as battery purchase is akin to purchasing between 200,000 km to 300,000 km of petrol at the time of purchase of the car. This is due to the fact that electricity to run a Tango is roughly 1/5 the cost of petrol, however, battery replacement is going to be required, long term, just as engine replacement is in a standard car. There is very little else to wear out on a Tango except for brakes and tires, hence battery replacement is the only appreciable long-term expense. As the Tango is made from stainless steel and carbon fiber, there also is no worry about corrosion over the decades, and is designed to last for millions of miles. Motors have no reciprocating parts, and spin on about $25.00 worth of bearings. Gearing is a simple robust 3:1 set with no other moving parts to wear out. Future models may use in-wheel motors and won't even have gears or differentials.

 

Battery for Production Tangos

Based on current pricing of LiFePO4 cells, we can project the following conservative figures. We may be able to do much better when actually pricing in volume. All figures are our best estimates in US dollars.

 Price      Rental     kWhrs     Range at 100kph constant and level

 $5,000     $75/mo      16           100 km

$10,000    $150/mo      32           200 km

$15,000    $225/mo      48           300 km

$20,000    $300/mo      64           400 km

We Recommend purchasing or renting a battery of at least twice the expected range needed for your daily commute. Even if renting a battery of 4 times the daily use, the cost of battery rent or amortization, plus the cost of electricity to charge it, will be less than the cost of petrol alone for a typical car. For example, if a 32 kWhr pack was rented for $150 per month, the electricity to charge for 50 km per day would be $2, or $40 per month = $190 per month instead of $200 per month for petrol. The more the Tango is driven, of course, the more economical it becomes.

 

Production Tango Pricing (Without Battery)

The following is based on a rough set of specifications for a production Tango, of lesser power, but still respectable performance.

Production Volume      Price each      Capital Required to achieve volume

  2,500 per annum        $34,000                   $50-million

 15,000 per annum        $19,000                   $150-million

100,000 per annum        $10,000                   $1-billion

 

T600 Registration

In the US, T600s have been registered as kit cars, where the customer or customer's mechanic has had to do a small amount of assembly. This is required in order to register a car that has not been crash tested, have airbags, or a number of other requirements for cars that are sold in complete form. Race cars, that crash on a regular basis, also do not have airbags, however, use other means for safety. Please see our safety page for more details on Tango crash-worthiness.

In the UK, the Tango has been registered under the IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) regulations. When a Tango is purchased in the UK it is sold in complete form meeting all IVA regulations. It must be taken to an IVA inspection station where Commuter Cars guarantees it to pass in order for it to be registered for the road. One, to date, has been registered in Exeter, Devon, England.

In New Zealand, the Tango was registered with a temporary permit for up to a year, and still runs under a California registration. It did, of course, pass a WoF before it received an NZ registration. For a purchase in New Zealand, Commuter Cars would guarantee a T600 passing inspection by the LVVTA (Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association) which, similar to IVA regulations in the UK, would give it full use of the motorways, like any other car. We are able to sell up to 500 vehicles per year under these regulations.

 

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