Electric car speed record attempt rescheduled

Following the postponement of Thursday's attempt on the official land speed record for an electric powered vehicle, the team of British engineers hope to be able to make a run later today.

Thursday's planned attempt had to be abandoned due to strong crosswinds in the area of the Nevada test run site.

In preparation for the event, the e=motion car, developed by Mr Newby and fellow UK engineer Colin Fallows, was shipped from the UK to the US last month. Powered by sophisticated variable speed motors and specially adapted drive units from ABB, the main sponsor, the 32-foot (10 meter) long, mustard-yellow car, which is shaped like a square sided pencil is expected to reach speeds of up to 300mph (483 kph). The car will try to break the current official Fédération Internationale d’Automobile (FIA) electric land speed record of 245 mph (394 kph) held by the 1999 US team using the White Lightning car.

The FIA, the world’s leading motorsports ruling body, will monitor and certify the attempt. To qualify as an official land speed record under FIA rules, the car must perform two recorded 1km (0.622 miles) runs at better than 252 mph.

Given favourable condition the team may be able to make further attempts today and tomorrow (Saturday).

The e=motion car has already delivered spectacular acceleration during testing in the UK where it reached speeds of 146 mph (237 kph) in just 1,000 yards (914 meters) - unofficially breaking the existing 139 mph UK record for an electric vehicle.

The car has no mechanical gears – acceleration is controlled entirely by ABB variable speed drives regulating two ABB electric motors capable of producing a combined output of 500bhp.

An earlier ABB e=motion attempt to break the record in 2004 on salt flats in Tunisia had to be abandoned due to poor surface conditions caused by unusual weather.

Visit ABB’s website www.abb.com/e=motion for updates on the team's progress.

(SP/MB)