August 11, 2012

Pike's Peak is Electric



EVs are everywhere, braking their own records for now but I wonder how long it will be before they are faster than internal combustion cars.

Nobuhiro Monster Tajima, the ninja of Pikes Peak, driving the Team APEV Monster  Sport E-Runner prototype will almost certainly pulverize the current Electric Vehicle record of 14:33 set last year by a Nissan Leaf.

The E-Runner is all wheel drive, driven by two liquid cooled motors powered by Mitsubishi Li-Ion batteries.     Tajima has competition from the Radical based Toyota EV that set the Nürburgring EV lap record, not to mention a electrified e36 M3 and entries from Mitsubishi but "Monster" has experience on his side.

Sunday is when it counts.

Check out the photo gallery on Autoblog




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4 comments:

  1. Chris BlownSaturday, August 11, 2012 9:54:00 PM

    I wonder how much different they are to drive? Its hard to tell how much engine braking (if any) they have.

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    1. ACSaturday, August 11, 2012 9:58:00 PM

      good question, I seem to recall reading that driving one of these cars means having a LOT of engine breaking, to the point where you really need to use the brakes very little compared to a traditional car.

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    2. AMWednesday, August 15, 2012 1:12:00 PM

      considering the aero involved, i wonder if more lift-off "braking" comes from drag than engine deceleration at the speeds they're traveling...

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  2. AnonymousSunday, August 12, 2012 1:23:00 PM

    Atleast they will not be gasping for air in the higher section...

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