RE: Venturi aims for EV speed record
Thursday 26th September 2013
It's hard to think of another manufacturer that has changed so drastically over the past 30 years as Venturi. Back at the 1984 Paris show, the Ventury (as was) arrived with a 120hp Golf GTI engine and Peugeot 205 suspension. Through the 80s and 90s we had stuff like the Venturi 200 and the pretty Atlantique, then that was pulled. The Fetish electric roadster of the early 2000s was a prescient concept but fiendishly expensive at £370,000.
Two of these are Monegasque royalty...However, Venturi has continued to plough ahead with EV development. And the best way to signal some intent? Well, a world record seems like a good place to start.
Venturi aims for EV speed record
UPDATE! Venturi goes for a record against the laws of physics and not much else
Two of these are Monegasque royalty...
The VBB-3 project has been ticking along for quite a while now, developed in conjunction with Ohio State University. It's now been officially unveiled at Wendover Airfield in Utah by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco. We can't imagine they would find themselves in Utah otherwise.
The 3,000hp, 2,065lb ft VBB-3 is aiming for the overall EV world speed record. We recently covered Lord Drayson's charge to a 204mph average in his 850hp B12 69/EV LMP car, which claimed the title for the FIA sub-1,000kg class. The 4.5-tonne VBB-3 finds itself in a very different category.
Venturi appears to have stolen a march on rivals for the overall record, and is targeting 600km/h (372mph). However, poor weather has thwarted any attempts thus far so it will probably be later in 2013 now. Venturi claims a top speed in excess of 400mph. Wonder what the range is like?
[Source: WCF]
Discussion
They sell the technology rather than rely on producing cars to sell directly for consumers. I believe that the French post office has traditionally been one of their biggest customers. Hence why they do various world record attempts - to show off their capabilities. I interview boss Gildo Pastor in my book.
It just slightly annoys me that some marketing dork (and yes, I have been one) puts a big sticker on the car saying "World's Fastest EV" before they've even done the record attempt. Firstly, it's such an American thing to do and secondly, do we all really look that stupet? Confidence is one thing, a big hairy pair of wrinkled plums is another (and I'm referring to the information here and not what it would take to charge down the salt flats with a couple of tonnes of battery acid up yer kipper). The Venturi one-make Gentlemen's series was a great racing programme and the forerunner of the Lamborghini Super-Trofeo. Good cars and French - do you know the French can actually do stuff really well and should have their own specialist car industry but they just can't be bothe...... zzzzzzzz! Ah! Fromage!! :-)
bobberz said:
Ah, Venturi, the makers of the French F40:
I'd completely forgotten about the Fetish! Gorgeous car, strange name.
Just realised in the pic I posted the Fetish has an exhaust system?! I guess the original concept was for a petrol powered car. I chose to post the concept as it's much prettier. I mean, this is how a supercar/sports car should look! I look at today's designs and wonder, "where have all the curves gone?" I'd completely forgotten about the Fetish! Gorgeous car, strange name.
Author wrote- "Wonder what the range is like?"
What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
NGS said:
It just slightly annoys me that some marketing dork (and yes, I have been one) puts a big sticker on the car saying "World's Fastest EV" before they've even done the record attempt. Firstly, it's such an American thing to do and secondly, do we all really look that stupet? Confidence is one thing, a big hairy pair of wrinkled plums is another (and I'm referring to the information here and not what it would take to charge down the salt flats with a couple of tonnes of battery acid up yer kipper). The Venturi one-make Gentlemen's series was a great racing programme and the forerunner of the Lamborghini Super-Trofeo. Good cars and French - do you know the French can actually do stuff really well and should have their own specialist car industry but they just can't be bothe...... zzzzzzzz! Ah! Fromage!! :-)
Very true. I'd say, for a time in the 1930s, the French car industry was the most advanced in the world. Okay, maybe not engineering or production (I'd say America was tops at that time), but Delage, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Bugatti, and their associated coachbuilders were clearly miles ahead in terms of design. The engineering on Bugatti's straight eights is impressive and beautiful, too.scubadude said:
Author wrote- "Wonder what the range is like?"
What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
Chill out, man. It was clearly sarcastic and meant to be taken as tongue-in-cheek. I'm sure that the author is perfectly aware that range isn't the issue on a LSR car.What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
bobberz said:
NGS said:
It just slightly annoys me that some marketing dork (and yes, I have been one) puts a big sticker on the car saying "World's Fastest EV" before they've even done the record attempt. Firstly, it's such an American thing to do and secondly, do we all really look that stupet? Confidence is one thing, a big hairy pair of wrinkled plums is another (and I'm referring to the information here and not what it would take to charge down the salt flats with a couple of tonnes of battery acid up yer kipper). The Venturi one-make Gentlemen's series was a great racing programme and the forerunner of the Lamborghini Super-Trofeo. Good cars and French - do you know the French can actually do stuff really well and should have their own specialist car industry but they just can't be bothe...... zzzzzzzz! Ah! Fromage!! :-)
Very true. I'd say, for a time in the 1930s, the French car industry was the most advanced in the world. Okay, maybe not engineering or production (I'd say America was tops at that time), but Delage, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Bugatti, and their associated coachbuilders were clearly miles ahead in terms of design. The engineering on Bugatti's straight eights is impressive and beautiful, too.dlockhart said:
How to the batteries not melt? from my knowledge batteries discharging rappidly produces lots of heat. we have all seen youtube clips of laptops catching fire due to a short and the battery overheating. I wonder how this is addressed here
What a bizarre question? My battery powered remote contol car blows through a full charge in 5-10 mins and doesn't catch fire in the process. Neither did my old banger from back in the day that often wouldn't start. It would easily go through a full charge in a couple of minutes of regular extended cranking without risk of fire.
Exact same concept here just on a different scale.
The french F40, many years ago at a trackday at Good ol Goodwood prob '96ish there were 2 venturi black and gray screaming around the track leaving all in their wake. The rumour was they were brake testing getting ready for that years le mans 24hr, as i was there in a friends F40 they certainly coaght the eye.
Any way good luck to them with the worlds fastest record.
Any way good luck to them with the worlds fastest record.
scubadude said:
Author wrote- "Wonder what the range is like?"
What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
Phew! Chill pill required I think What a pathetic EV joke to level at a LSR car! Why both flexing any journolistic muscle, no just wheel out the sad-old book of EV myths and start from page 1, would expect far greater level of knowledge from PH pen-pusher...
Might as well ask for the range of the Bloodhound or Thrust SSC cars! Anyone with half a brain knows these vehicles are fueled for one run of no more than 10-15miles then refuel and return within an hour, its been the same rules for LSR's since the invention of the car.
PH's, where did you recruit this typist from, where they having a firesale at the Daily Mail?
dvs_dave said:
What a bizarre question?
My battery powered remote contol car blows through a full charge in 5-10 mins and doesn't catch fire in the process. Neither did my old banger from back in the day that often wouldn't start. It would easily go through a full charge in a couple of minutes of regular extended cranking without risk of fire.
Exact same concept here just on a different scale.
It's not a bizarre question at all. Your car has a Lead Acid battery, and your RC car uses NiCads, both are "safe" battery technologies that will withstand enormous abuse without doing anything nasty.My battery powered remote contol car blows through a full charge in 5-10 mins and doesn't catch fire in the process. Neither did my old banger from back in the day that often wouldn't start. It would easily go through a full charge in a couple of minutes of regular extended cranking without risk of fire.
Exact same concept here just on a different scale.
Laptops use Lithium Ion, and more recently Lithium Polymer batteries both of which are decidedly unsafe in fault conditions. The much publicised Boeing Dreamliner uses Lithium batteries that caught fire. The Ventura also uses Lithium based batteries so the question is quite reasonable. The answer is that instead of Lithium Ion or Polymer, it uses Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries which are far more resistant to the kind of abuse they will be inflicted with.
Mr2Mike said:
dvs_dave said:
What a bizarre question?
My battery powered remote contol car blows through a full charge in 5-10 mins and doesn't catch fire in the process. Neither did my old banger from back in the day that often wouldn't start. It would easily go through a full charge in a couple of minutes of regular extended cranking without risk of fire.
Exact same concept here just on a different scale.
It's not a bizarre question at all. Your car has a Lead Acid battery, and your RC car uses NiCads, both are "safe" battery technologies that will withstand enormous abuse without doing anything nasty.My battery powered remote contol car blows through a full charge in 5-10 mins and doesn't catch fire in the process. Neither did my old banger from back in the day that often wouldn't start. It would easily go through a full charge in a couple of minutes of regular extended cranking without risk of fire.
Exact same concept here just on a different scale.
Laptops use Lithium Ion, and more recently Lithium Polymer batteries both of which are decidedly unsafe in fault conditions. The much publicised Boeing Dreamliner uses Lithium batteries that caught fire. The Ventura also uses Lithium based batteries so the question is quite reasonable. The answer is that instead of Lithium Ion or Polymer, it uses Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries which are far more resistant to the kind of abuse they will be inflicted with.
Also, being into R/C hobbies, myself, I've never heard of any catastrophic failures caused by LiPo batteries in an R/C application.
Keep in mind, those R/C cars and aircraft can be very expensive, so I don't think they would use LiPo if it is so disaster prone.
bobberz said:
If his R/C car uses NiCads, it is very old. The R/C industry pretty much standardized on Lithium Polymer (LiPo) in the middle of the 2000s. It started with R/C aircraft due to LiPos light weight and vastly improved longevity. Naturally, those same attributes are beneficial for an R/C car, as well. So, if his car was built after about 2006 or so, it probably has a LiPo battery.
Also, being into R/C hobbies, myself, I've never heard of any catastrophic failures caused by LiPo batteries in an R/C application.
Keep in mind, those R/C cars and aircraft can be very expensive, so I don't think they would use LiPo if it is so disaster prone.
Firstly NiCd/MiMH cells are still quite widely used in RC cars, though LiPo's obviously offer a performance advantage, for a cost.Also, being into R/C hobbies, myself, I've never heard of any catastrophic failures caused by LiPo batteries in an R/C application.
Keep in mind, those R/C cars and aircraft can be very expensive, so I don't think they would use LiPo if it is so disaster prone.
If you have never heard of a catastrophic failure of a LiPo pack then you surely can't be very involved in the hobby. There have been many, many failures of LiPo batteries in RC vehicles, and also a number of cases of fires being started in homes when charging them. Just search for "LiPo failure" on youtube for a very small selection of them.
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