Thursday 26th September 2019

Genovation GXE breaks its own EV speed record

200mph has been and gone, now 210 - where to next?

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You remember the Genovation, yes? It was first on the PH radar at the start of last year, a C7 Corvette-derived project that made 800hp through batteries. The GXE was ticking along for longer than that though, having established an EV land speed record back in 2016 with a 205.6mph maximum.

Now the bar has been raised higher still, the GXE having recorded a 210.2mph terminal velocity at the Kennedy Space Centre. The record-setting car was driven by Johnny Bohmer (at his own proving grounds!), and certified by IMRA, the International Mile Racing Association. Handily there's a video too, which you can watch here.

Genovation's CEO Andre Saul said of the record: This a testament to Genovation's continuous improvement philosophy that guides everything we do to enhance the capabilities of the GXE... "It's gratifying for the Genovation Team to see the results of the thousands of hours that were spent refining and testing the car to achieve this world record."

As for the actual production car, now due in early 2020 - where once it was meant for the middle of this year - the spec is unchanged - carbon wheels, ceramic brakes, a manual gearbox for those who want it and a 175-mile range.

What with the Tesla vs. Taycan fracas at the Nurburgring, and now the Genovation reaching three and half miles a minute in the USA, the stakes have arguably never been higher in the EV record arena. What might be conquered by electric vehicles next?

 

[donteatpeople]

This seems like an opportunity for Rimac, they claim 220mph top speed for the Concept One. Just need a timed run to prove it.

[Stevie10001]

Great and woohoo it can do 210mph. The interesting bit would be how far it would go on a motorway/freeway at say 70/80 mph, in the middle of a winter's night with the lights, aircon and heater working? Impress me with that figure and I'll buy one. Yes, I am impressed with its speed but unfortunately, I also have to live and work in the real world!

[Stevie10001]

Great and woohoo it can do 210mph. The interesting bit would be how far it would go on a motorway/freeway at say 70/80 mph, in the middle of a winter's night with the lights, aircon and heater working? Impress me with that figure and I'll buy one. Yes, I am impressed with its speed but unfortunately, I also have to live and work in the real world!

[big_rob_sydney]

I guess its a question of right tool for the right job.

Some people are okay with a "city car", whereas some people need to travel long distances. But whats really funny, is people who do 99.9% of short distances, but then buy a big old bus, just for that odd occasion.

Why? Because they can.

[kambites]

Stevie10001 said:

Great and woohoo it can do 210mph. The interesting bit would be how far it would go on a motorway/freeway at say 70/80 mph, in the middle of a winter's night with the lights, aircon and heater working? Impress me with that figure and I'll buy one. Yes, I am impressed with its speed but unfortunately, I also have to live and work in the real world!

"You'll buy one"? Really? If it has a decent real-world range you'll actually fork out three quarters of a million dollars of your own money on one?

[Turbobanana]

Stevie10001 said:

Great and woohoo it can do 210mph. The interesting bit would be how far it would go on a motorway/freeway at say 70/80 mph, in the middle of a winter's night with the lights, aircon and heater working?

Came here to say pretty much this, without the commitment to buying one.

I feel it's also time for someone to base a game-changing, high tech EV on something other than a luxury / high-end product like a Corvette. You know, something a decent percentage of the population could actually use and / or afford. I get the need for "halo" models but most of us need 4 seats and a boot so a Corvette at this price is useless, beautiful though it is.

Perhaps I just need to rethink my own strategy and spend more that £11,000 on a car

[Venturist]

Problem with that is the electric kit is still expensive and limited market compared to ICE. A luxury car can swallow that cost, a bare bones hatchback cannot.

[Gecko1978]

After the run what was the range - Take say a Aventador it can do what 217 - so get it up to that over 3 miles fast as you can then back down to 70mph how far can it then go on a full tank?

[borat52]

Turbobanana said:

Came here to say pretty much this, without the commitment to buying one.

I feel it's also time for someone to base a game-changing, high tech EV on something other than a luxury / high-end product like a Corvette. You know, something a decent percentage of the population could actually use and / or afford. I get the need for "halo" models but most of us need 4 seats and a boot so a Corvette at this price is useless, beautiful though it is.

Perhaps I just need to rethink my own strategy and spend more that £11,000 on a car

Technically impossible at a profit. Electric cars will not go mainstream until the electricity comes from hydrogen instead of a conventional battery. We need molten salt nuclear reactors producing hydrogen from sea water efficiently at high temps before mainstream motoring goes carbon neutral.

[Howrare]

Genovation, is that the name of a team on this years Apprentice?

[lotuslover69]

I imagine the Lotus Evija with 2000bhp will break this record