Land Speed Record Attempt
650hp Electric car capable of 300mph?
On June 9th a British team will attempt to make history by doing over 300 mph in an electric car. The Primetime Engineering team – holders of the outright British Land Speed Record in their jet car - will travel to the Chott-el-Jerid salt flats in Southern Tunisia to make an attempt on the 245mph World Electric Land Speed Record.
Driver Mark Newby and Engineer Colin Fallows will be taking their ‘ABB e=motion’ car to Tunisia for the record attempt. It has already achieved 146mph in just 1,000 yards (the longest distance available to the team in the UK). ‘ABB e=motion’ went faster in just over half a mile than the current 139mph UK electric record holders did after a 2 mile run up, so hopes for a new World Record are high. One of these 146mph passes was made ‘live’ as part of a special feature on the BBC’s Six O’Clock Evening News last Autumn.
The 650hp car is 32 feet long, and, according to computer simulation, should be capable of 304mph. Power is supplied to the electric motor by 58 Exide Technologies/CMP Orbital Series 800 batteries delivering a total of more than 600v and 2300amps. Final drive to the 25” tall Goodyear Landspeed tyres is via a bespoke belt and pulley system.
‘ABB e=motion’ leaves Dover on June 1st for the overland journey to Tunisia, and the Record Attempt will take place on June 9th at the special track provided by the Tunisian authorities near to the southern town of Tozeur.
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