"NSTU will develop a power unit for creating an electric car prototype (cased on the sports car). Speaking about a prototype, it is important to realize that various types of accumulators have been designed over the past several years that enable electric cars to develop exponentially," he said. "We are collecting a base of elements and forming a prototype, and of course we consider a deeper creation of elements based on the University’s competences in the future," Shtang added.

NOVOSIBIRSK, May 27. /TASS/. Engineers from Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) will develop a power unit for the electric car based on the Russian-made sports car Marussia, NSTU’s assistant to Vice Rector for Research Alexander Shtang told TASS.

According to NSTU’s estimates announced by the press service earlier, the work will take a year and a half. In the process, the internal-combustion engine will be replaced with a heavy energy-efficient power unit, lithium-ion batteries will be fixed on the electric car being created and the control system will be synthetized. General Director of Spektr company Andrey Bratenkov said that six Marussia cars have been delivered to Novosibirsk.

"The task of engineers and the academia of Novosibirsk State Technical University is to demonstrate the competences on creating locally-produced cars. Our university develops energy-efficient engines, transformers, energy accumulators, electric drivers, there is a strong consensus group of material engineering and machine manufacturing, there are research groups that have a deep understanding of cinematics and energy engineering of the movement of electric vehicles," Shtang was quoted as saying by the press service.

In 2007, Marussia Motors company was founded, which planned to produce locally-made sports cars. It developed prototypes of Marussia models, though the company never produced any single stock car as it shut down in 2014.