Electric supercar set to complete 26,000 kms run for first time ever

WASHINGTON - A team of UK engineers are set to complete a journey of 26,000 kilometres in a battery-powered supercar across the Pan-American Highway.

The Racing Green Endurance team from Imperial College London, started from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska in July and, after travelling through 14 countries, are due to reach Ushuaia in Argentina today.

The 200 km/h supercar, called SRZero, was built by the team of graduate engineers last year, and is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just seven seconds.

Powered by a pack of lithium iron phosphate batteries, the car has a range of over 400 kilometres.

Team member Andy Hadland, in an email from Rio Gallegos in Argentina, said that the car has stood up well to the journey despite a few hairy moments, such as being stranded for hours in the dangerous Mexican border region when a shock absorber snapped, reports New Scientist.

“Driving the open-top car at night with tropical rainstorms pounding away, and disintegrating roads, was certainly a challenge, and slightly nerve racking knowing you’re sitting on 550 volts.

“But the waterproofing measures worked and the car survived,” he said.

The team has also found the cold has had a noticeable impact on the performance of the car’s batteries.

When charging the car outside, they found the first 10-15 per cent of the car’s range went extremely quickly, particularly if this was combined with an uphill climb through the Andes.

“However, once rolling, and the batteries had warmed a little, the range was normal, even with cold atmospheric temperatures,” he added. (ANI)