Electric car speed record attempt
May 5, 2005
A group of British engineers is aiming to take the official land speed record for an electrical vehicle.
The team is set to attempt the 394kph (245mph) record and to become the first to pass the 483kph (300mph) barrier, in Nevada, US.
The bright orange, 10m-long (32ft) ABB e=motion car, is powered by variable speed drives and two 37kW motors.
The record, according to official international rules, was set by the US White Lightning vehicle in 1999.
E=motion has been developed by UK engineers Mark Newby and Colin Fallows.
Thursday's record attempt will be monitored and verified by FIA (Fédération Internationale d'Automobile) officials.
The car will have to do two recorded runs at more than 394kph over a distance of one kilometre (0.622 miles), within a certain timeframe.
Promising runs
So far, its performance in test runs has looked promising, say the engineers. It has succeeded in reaching 237kph (146mph) over a stretch of almost 1,000 metres.
That speed unofficially beats the existing UK electric car speed record of 139mph.
"With this sort of performance, we're confident that our car will easily beat the existing electric car land speed world record," said Mr Newby.
It does not have any mechanical gears. Instead, E=motion has been designed using drive technology from electrical engineering firm ABB, which allows for rapid acceleration.
The car has four packs of 52 lead-acid batteries which power its two motors.
The variable speed driver technology converts the 600V DC (direct current) which the batteries generate into AC (alternating current) power for the two motors.
The two motors have a ventilation system which uses a series of fans to ensure they do not overheat during the attempt. The motors' maximum operating temperature is 180ºC (356ºF).
Special sensors fitted onto the motors will also provide the team with real-time information about how hot they are getting.
Electric cars have obvious environmental benefits. The drive technology used in e=motion is designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 68 million tons annually, according to ABB.
The vehicle's previous attempt to smash the record on the salt flats of Tunisia in 2004 had to be delayed because of unsafe surface conditions. The team is not expecting adverse surface conditions in Nevada, however.
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