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New World Record For Electric Car Speed: 204.2 MPH

Posted by timothy on from the electric-moment dept.

Dupple writes with this excerpt from the BBC: "Drayson Racing Technologies has broken the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car. Its Lola B12 69/EV vehicle hit a top speed of 204.2mph (328.6km/h) at a racetrack at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. ... The previous 175mph record was set by Battery Box General Electric in 1974. Drayson Racing is not the only electric vehicle-maker hoping to use motorsport to spur on adoption of the technology. Last week Nissan unveiled the Zeod RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), which can switch between electric and petrol power. The firm intends to enter the vehicle into next year's Le Mans 24 race saying the competition would act as a 'challenging test bed' for technologies that could eventually find their way into road cars." This video from last year introduces the Lola; Drayson's YouTube channel has plenty more footage, too.

21 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. Re:202 ? by Nutria · · Score: 2

    The TGV doesn't have to carry it's own power source.

    --
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  2. Nope by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can't drive for 8 hours without a recharge, can't charge in less than 500 microseconds, doesn't cost less than the shittiest Ford = piece of shit.

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    1. Re:Nope by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There is currently no gas driven car with emissions so low that they are long term viable in large cities.

      I don't get this at all, in what way? Viable according to whose standards? in what way? I mean, cars nowadays pretty much only output CO2, which is the same thing we output.

      Also, cars are bigger than people, we won't be able to fit enough cars into a dense enough city space to make them unviable in that sense.

      We also have to start manufacturing new oil soon, do you have a solution for that?

      You can manufacture as much oil as you like, we've done it for a long time, the problem is that it is expensive compared to what you can get out of the ground, that it is limited to specialty areas (e.g. synthetic car oil). For Fuel we can manufacture hydrocarbons, although not (yet) in the amounts necessary to totally replace what is drilled out world wide.

      In Europe, fuel costs are so high (due to taxes) that they are almost reaching parity with manufactured fuel in cost, which I suspect may well be the long term politicians goal (i.e. they can switch us all over and it would not cause a massive price shock).

      In fact, from the point of view of alternatives, I still think *biofuels are better than EV, at least in the short/medium term. Batteries wear out quickly, are expensive, and have no reached density parity with chemical fuels.

      Of course, you don't have to burn said fuels, perhaps fuel cells with electric traction would be the most efficient.

      *I don't mean the ass-backwards thing in the US where you use corn to make fuel, but sugar cane, algae, grasses, hemp and others, which are far better suited to this without affecting the food supply.

    2. Re:Nope by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It would make sense if it wasn't so stupid.

      What is "it"? Being a fan of electric vehicles? One can be a fan by recognising their potential, while still recognising their (current) shortcomings. If we all took your attitude to emerging technology we'd still be living in caves and cleaning our teeth with chewed sticks.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    3. Re:Nope by pr0fessor · · Score: 2

      I normally drive about 30 miles a day {all in town} in a gas car which sits in the garage at home for 12 hours a night an electric cars range and recharge time would not be a major problem for me. Sure there are rare occasions where I actually drive more than 80 miles in a day once maybe twice a year. Since mine is a two car family there is no reason I couldn't have a hybrid and an all electric car, or just rent a car for those long trip days.

    4. Re:Nope by keytoe · · Score: 2

      In Europe, fuel costs are so high (due to taxes) that they are almost reaching parity with manufactured fuel in cost, which I suspect may well be the long term politicians goal (i.e. they can switch us all over and it would not cause a massive price shock).

      Except for the massive price shock in terms of how much less money the government would collect without that tax in place...

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    5. Re:Nope by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 2

      Except for the massive price shock in terms of how much less money the government would collect without that tax in place...

      They worked that one out already, GPS tracking and black-boxes in every car, and you get get charged per mile driven. So once they switch us over we will just get taxed based on how far we drive.

      They are already rolling out the above, by mandating all new cars from 2013 have said black boxes in them, with permanent internet connection.

      Not that I like the idea, I find it abhorrent (I'd rather they just checked the odometer every year and charge you based on the difference traveled since the last measurement), but I can't fault them for not thinking ahead.

      Hopefully my old car would be exempt, or I might just up and leave the EU to an area with more personal freedom, like Russia (irony of ironies that).

  3. The Lola? by cellocgw · · Score: 3, Funny

    Something something how can a car without a tranny be a Lola?
    (yeah I know electric cars have a transmission but they don't have a gearbox, which is what most people refer to as transmission)

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  4. They don't care that you don't care by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They're not trying to sell you this car. It's a proof of concept whose purpose is to dispel the myth that electric cars can't be made to perform well.

    1. Re:They don't care that you don't care by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 2

      I don't think their performance was ever challenged. I mean, their torque curve alone shows that it would be faster off the mark then a IC car of the same curb weight.

      Everything I've gathered about EV's not performing well had little to do with performance, but more to do with energy density, recharge time, exotic materials, and the fact the batteries wear out a lot faster than a fuel tank.

      (incidentally, all of the above (minus exotic materials) would be solved by using fuel cells in an EV car, if they can get them to not gunk up after a while and bring down the cost).

    2. Re:They don't care that you don't care by WindBourne · · Score: 2

      Actually, the Model S is cheaper to buy than all of its gas competitor, and MUCH cheaper to run, as well as outperforming them.
      The Model S does NOT compete against a porsche or lambo (though interestingly, the performance version can take them on). It competes against full size Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.

      --
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  5. Top Gear drove this by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 2

    It topped out at 24 mph.

  6. Re:Can't wait... by xeio87 · · Score: 2

    Tesla already has prototypes for swapping batteries out in less than 2 minutes.

    Still too long for a pit stop, but they already use specialized equipment there to refuel quickly (compared to gas stations) so something similar for electric cars isn't unfathomable if the actually catch on in this type of environment.

  7. Re:202 ? by gl4ss · · Score: 2

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bus

    I'll let you figure out why we haven't replaced personal vehicles with these.

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  8. This is the Future by sidevans · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am sad I don't have any mod points to give negative shit right now, especially with all the people drinking haterade and talking shit about electric cars - this is a subject I hold close to my heart.....

    Yes we are behind on tech, a 1911-1916 Detroit Motors electric car was doing ~80 miles on a charge, with the best test being 211 miles (340 km) from a single charge - however with small scale wind and solar systems we can manage 90% of consumer and urban driving requirements without relying on a single drop of oil from the middle east. I am from Australia - its 3:10am here (yes I've had a drink) and personally whatever happens over there doesn't affect us apart from catching the flu when America sneezes - but this type of technology is what will make the world free one day.

    Brand new Electric cars are $100k, but for $20k you can buy an old can and convert it to electric with 200km "down under" range (~120 miles) and it will consume a hell of a lot less overall energy than a combustion motor - you guys in the USA will probably get the most expensive part - the batteries - cheaper than we would in Australia and your currency is now stronger.

    Electric cars will always have more instant torque and power than unleaded, ethenol, DIEsel or Gas (LPG, Natural Gas) - and they will kick ass when the time is right. Look up "White Zombie EV" and "EV West" cars for some real education on what is available on the market already.

    If anyone disagree's, you suck and I don't care.

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  9. Re:202 ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The record is for an electric car under 1000 kg.

    http://www.worldcarfans.com/113062659310/drayson-racing-breaks-world-speed-record-for-a-lightweight

    A TGV is not lightweight by any imagination.

  10. Re:Formula One profile by sidevans · · Score: 2

    you mean this thing?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNxTSTMeII

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  11. Re:Can't wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Le Mans pitstops are usually around 55 / 60 seconds for just refueling stop, and around 80 - 85 seconds if it's a tire/driver change/refuel. Usually drivers do anywhere from 2 to 4 driving stints and are changed when the tires need changing.

    (btw, Le Mans 24h was last weekend, my observation stems from watching the race)

  12. Re:202 ? by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 4, Funny

    I dare you to take out the battery in your car.

    I did. We went to dinner and a movie.

    What happened afterwards is too shocking to tell.

    --
    They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
  13. KillaCycle by djlemma · · Score: 2

    I immediately thought about the drag racing electric motorcycle I had read about years back, the KillaCycle. Well, apparently those guys designed the battery packs for the Drayson in TFA, which is pretty neat. It's also the bike that the inventor crashed while trying to do a burnout for some reporters... but whatever, still cool.

  14. Re:202 ? by QuasiSteve · · Score: 2

    Slightly off-topic..

    Between people's desire for individual freedom, lack of a proper transit network, and the popular opinion that buses are not something you want to be found on for cited security and hygiene reasons, at least people in DC don't seem to need much of another reason.

    Which is a shame, really, and here's why.
    I'll be visiting DC (IAD, technically in VA) and have to go to, say, Charlotte Hall in MD.

    Cab: $150
    SuperShuttle: $160 (no longer does shared rides that far south)
    SupremeAirportShuttle (shared ride): $135 (fluctuates - their site is a mess)
    Rental car: $6.35 for gas (assuming 2012 Ford Fiesta), oodles more for rental+insurance (remains cheaper than the above for the first 2-3 days or so).
    Bus (5A to Rosslyn and 909 down south): $10.35

    If buses were held in higher esteem (and Dillon's seems a perfectly good commercial operator, but not many people seem to actually review bus service over there), made more stops (there's just a few along that entire route, though local transport including taxis may be viable from there), and drove a little faster, I'd say buses would be a great option there.. electric or otherwise.

    ( I was disappointed to find that the railroad tracks there are only used for goods, and not for people movers. Unless I missed something. )