UK land speed record smashed by electric car

UK land speed record smashed by electric car

A modified Lotus Exige named 'Nemesis', which has been refashioned and tinkered with by green electricity firm Ecotricity, broke the UK land speed record for an electric car on Thursday 27th September.

The Nemesis clocked in at 151mph for an average speed, during the event at the Elvington airfield near York.

The Nemesis was driven by Nick Ponting, a 21-year-old go-kart driver who has been driving since the age of 12. The previous UK electric land speed record was 137mph, set by Don Wales, who is the grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell. Don was driving a Bluebird Electric when he set the previous record in 2000. Another attempt by Wales to break the record took place in August 2011, but after hitting a pothole on a beach, the car was unable to continue.

The record was actually broken twice on Thursday, first with an attempt hitting 148mph, and second with the 151mph run. The Motor Sports Association was present to verify the attempts. The car makers went on to comment on the event, and the car: "We built the Nemesis to smash the stereotype of electric cars as something Noddy would drive - slow, boring, not cool - and I think we've done exactly that today. Hopefully this will further stimulate debate about the future of transport in Britain and how we'll be getting around when the world runs out of oil.", commented Ecotricity founder Dale Vince.

It is thought that the modified Lotus should be able to get up to 200mph, but weather and road conditions hamper the engine. It has a range of up to 150 miles before it's batteries have to be recharged, which is a little bit more than most consumer electric cars in the UK, including the Nissan Leaf.

Read more in detail: http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/about-ecotricity/eco-labs/nemesis/land-speed-record

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