Electric racing team Drayson Racing has been busy setting a number of land-speed records. The team lead by Lord Drayson took the British-built Lola B12 69/EV race car up to 205.139mph from a rolling start, bettering the previous speed record of 204.2mph attained earlier this year.
Intent on showing the might of electric cars, Lord Drayson went on to achieve a record quarter mile time of 9.742 seconds on the same day, crossing over the line at 92.383 mph, as well as a one-kilometre record of 333.271kph (207.1mph).
Not only is the Drayson Lola the fastest electric car on the planet, it also took the record for the fastest measured mile of any car driven by its wheels, with a whopping top speed of 219.1mph.
Two runs were undertaken within an hour to create an average as required by the rules and regulations of setting a land-speed record. The records are currently awaiting the official stamp of approval from the FIA.
“We are continuing the testing and development programme of our electric drivetrain technology and we are delighted with the results achieved today,” Lord Drayson commented. “The engineering challenge of accelerating a 995kg electric car to these speeds and then stopping in time on such a short runway is pretty intense, but it’s a great proving ground for our technology.”
“It’s also an exciting way of demonstrating what’s possible with a state of the art electric vehicle,” he added.
Testing at the Bonneville Salt Flats was the original plan but flooding meant the team had to return to Elvington airfield in Yorkshire.
The Drayson Lola B12 69/EV was originally built as a prototype Le Mans car. It has four electric motors that create a combined output of (640kW) 850bhp. Because space is a premium, structural batteries are used to maintain rigidity and provide the thirsty motors with power.
Earlier this year Drayson Racing and chip-manufacturer Qualcomm entered into an agreement to bring wireless charging to Formula E, an all-electric race that will debut in 2015.
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