Now, Drayson Racing has brought its 596-kilowatt (800 horsepower) electric Le Mans prototype to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in an attempt to beat its own record. The attempt is currently taking place and the team is confident of setting a new record.
“Back in June, the relatively short runway at Elvington limited our top speed as we had to brake as the car was still accelerating,” Mr. Drayson said in a statement. “We are looking forward to discovering just how fast the car can go on the wide-open spaces of the Bonneville salt flats, although it’s been a major engineering challenge to prepare the car for running on salt.”
With the attempt, Drayson Racing wants to demonstrate the future possibilities of electric car technology and performance and to highlight the importance of lightweight construction in future electric car design.
Drayson Racing's electric race car is called the B12 69/EV and is based on a Lola chassis designed for a V-10 powerplant. Power now comes from four electric motors, two at each of the rear wheels. Peak output has been increased to the aforementioned 596 kilowatts and providing the current is a 20-kilowatt-hour battery encased in a carbon battery cell integrated into the chassis.
Note, the world land speed record for an electric car was set by French firm Venturi in 2010 and stands at 307.7 mph. Drayson Racing’s record is for an FIA-sanctioned vehicle and is not recognized by the record keepers at Guinness. Nevertheless, we wish them the best of luck and hope to report on a new record soon.
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