Electric cars have proven to be the weapon of choice for many tackling the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in recent years.

In fact, last year’s overall winner was powered solely by a battery and electric motor.

The air gets thinner the higher you go up and this has a detrimental effect on the performance of internal combustion cars. It’s why even Pikes Peak legend Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima has switched to electric power with his E-Runner series of cars.

This year Tajima will have some competition from a Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S: Blake Fuller, founder of wearable energy firm Go Puck, will be racing to the clouds in the class for production electric cars using a P90D.

Blake Fuller

Blake Fuller

The P90D features an electric motor at the front axle delivering 259 horsepower and another at the rear delivering 503 hp at their respective peaks. With its available Ludicrous mode, the car will rocket to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and pass the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds.

In addition to being founder of Go Puck, Fuller is also one of the key people behind Braille Battery, a company specializing in lightweight batteries for automotive applications.

Interestingly,  the Pikes Peak Hill Climb was the inspiration for Fuller’s interest in battery technology. In the late 1990s, he was looking for a way to make his car more competitive. His solution was to reduce the weight, namely, by replacing the 45-pound starter  battery with an 11-lb unit he developed himself.

The 2016 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the event's 94th running, is scheduled for June 26.

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