Charged with Electric Vehicle News and Views
The Toyota TMG EV P002 and driver Rod Millen, the former Pikes Peak overall record holder, have made substantial gains on last season's record-setting performance and are prepared to defend its Electric Class record in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) on June 30 following a successful test program and continued upgrades to the vehicle.
Mitsubishi's 500 hp AWD MiEV Evolution II's have taken the two fastest times in the Electric Class on Day 2 Practice/Qualifying on the bottom section of the Pikes Peak course. Driven by two-time Dakar rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka and Pikes Peak motorbike specialist Greg Tracy, the team say their firm intention is to break Toyota’s EV course record of set in 2012.
The TMG EV P002 electric race car posted the fourth-best qualifying time behind ‘MONSTER’ Tajima.
Rod Millen, driving the TMG-developed car, posted a time of just over four minutes (4:04.331) on the lower portion of the 156-turn course, more than 25 seconds faster than last year’s qualifying effort.
The TMG EV P002, which set the Electric Class record in 2012 with driver Fumio Nutahara (10:15.380), features an ugraded electric powertrain while aerodynamic improvements have been made by Toyota Racing Development USA.
Four San Francisco Bay Area local government fleets—San Jose, Los Gatos, Campbell and Mill Valley—are deploying a total of 50 Mitsubishi i-MiEV EVs, representing the largest municipal fleet deployment of light-duty all-electric vehicles (EVs) in the US to date.
Supporting the region’s efforts to establish the Bay Area as the “EV Capital of the US” and Governor Brown’s goal of 1.5 million EVs on California roads by 2025, this deployment is one in a series the BACC and partners are facilitating, which collectively could result in 250+ EVs deployed over the next 12 months for valuable potential impacts including fuel cost savings of nearly $2 million and avoidance of nearly 6 million pounds of CO2 over five years.
The vehicles were secured under highly favorable lease terms, removing the upfront cost barrier and risk of traditional vehicle procurement. These unique lease options are allowing participating municipalities to expand on their already progressive sustainability efforts, while delivering the significant operations, maintenance and fuel cost savings associated with EVs.
The City of San Jose, which received 38 of the 50 vehicles, is aiming to power 100 percent of its fleet with alternative fuel vehicles by 2022 as a part of its Green Vision, and is currently 40 percent of the way toward achieving this goal. “We appreciate the opportunity to secure these new vehicles without any upfront expenditure,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. “By replacing older, less efficient vehicles with clean EVs, we reduce emissions but more importantly, save on fuel costs.”
This deployment also is enabling smaller municipalities to both demonstrate the benefits of EVs in fleets and emerge as sustainability leaders. “The Town of Los Gatos is pleased to participate in this initiative to add electric vehicles to the fleet, which lowers our carbon footprint in keeping with our Sustainability Plan,” said Town of Los Gatos Mayor Barbara Spector. “In addition to being nearly 40 percent less expensive to fuel, these vehicles will significantly reduce the Town’s greenhouse gas emissions – over three years our five vehicles will avoid nearly 20,000 lbs of CO2.”
“Many of our fleet vehicle routes are predictable and take place within the city itself,” explained City of Campbell Mayor Evan Low. “These i-MiEVs are ideally suited for such applications and, using the network of 11 charging stations we’ve installed, we’ll be able to charge the vehicles throughout
Drayson Racing is proud to announce that it has set a new World Electric Land Speed Record of 204.185mph.
Former science minister, businessman and racing driver Lord Drayson was behind the wheel of the Drayson B12 69/EV electric Le-Mans Prototype in near perfect conditions, the Oxford-based sustainable motorsport company smashed the previous 175mph record, which had stood for nearly forty years, by 29.2mph.
As the new world record holder, Lord Drayson commented: "I'm delighted we've beaten the record tonight and can show the world EVs can be fast and reliable. Drayson Racing is a laboratory for EV technology, testing it to the most extreme level, as we've seen today."
"It is not the outright speed of 204.185mph that is most impressive about this record, but the engineering challenge of accelerating a 1000kg electric vehicle on a short runway over a measured mile. However I've got a great team and world-class partners, such as Qualcomm Halo, Michelin, Multimatic and Cosworth."
"This is a true celebration of Britain's leading position within the burgeoning electric vehicle industry and I'm delighted to be at the forefront of this electric revolution. We hope to set more records tomorrow. "
Drayson Racing is a research and development business, pioneering the development of sustainable technologies in the challenging environment of motorsport. With the electric land speed record it intends to showcase what is possible with an electric drivetrain and underscore Britain's leadership position in the EV industry.
Australian Brumbies rugby union club player, Scott Fardy will lead a charge with a difference this month as he takes to the streets of Canberra in a 100% electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
It’s all thanks to Rock Development Group and the ACT Electric Vehicle Council (the Council) to help support and promote electric vehicles as a viable transport alternative for the ACT.
Scott Fardy said “When I travelled to Japan in 2009 I couldn’t believe how many electric vehicles were on the road. I’m so excited that I get to cruise the streets of my home town in one for a month.”
Scott will share his electric vehicle experience via the social media platform Twitter using the handle @scottfardy and hashtag #EVsrock. “I thought this would be a really fun and interactive way to share my adventures with everyone and I really hope to hear from lots of other Twitter users who see me cruising around town.”
The Council approached Scott because he has a demonstrated commitment to promoting community-orientated charitable and environmental causes, and educating youth about the benefits of team sport in Canberra and the surrounding regions.
“To me, electric vehicles are a no brainer.” Scott added. “I know that at times I cringe at petrol prices. An electric car sure has less of an impact on your wallet. I couldn’t believe it when the Council told me I could charge it up overnight for less than the price of a pie at a Brumbies game!”
The ACT has the cheapest electricity in the country whereas the price of petrol is 10c/L higher than the national average at $1.47 a litre. This is an indicator that Canberra has good reason to consider an electric vehicle when making a new car purchase.
Other benefits of owning a 100% electric vehicle in the ACT are that under the Green Vehicle Scheme no duty is payable at registration time. not to mention that going electric helps reduce vehicle pollution and decrease carbon emissions.
Follow Scott’s electric vehicle adventures on Twitter: @scottfardy and #EVsrock
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima returns to the 90th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, assembling a new electric vehicle in hopes of breaking the world record time he set in 2011 while raising 'climate change' awareness.
