Megawatt All-Electric Race Car to Compete at Pikes Peak

As reported by Electric Autosport: Drive eO announces the arrival of eO PP03, world’s first one megawatt all-electric race car. Designed and built in Latvia, the 1020 kW (1368 hp) powerful vehicle is to compete at the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States of America on June 28, 2015. “We want to become the first overall winner with an electric vehicle,” said Kristaps Dambis, project director at Drive eO.  

Drive eO is an engineering company specialized in the design and manufacture of electric and hybrid electric prototype vehicles. The eO PP03 is a result of years of development. The Latvian based company was the first to enter and complete the demanding Dakar Rally with a hybrid electric vehicle. This project was followed by the creation of eO PP01, a purpose built fully electric prototype race car to participate at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb competition. Last year, they were the first to enter this race with a modified Tesla Roadster.

The newly created all-wheel drive eO PP03 has a 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and is propelled by six YASA-400 electric motors with in-house developed eO controllers. This package provides a peak power of an impressive 1020 kW, peak torque of 2160 Nm and could reach 260 km/h. The kerb weight is targeted at just 1200 kg.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motor racing event in the United States of America. The race is run on a challenging twenty-kilometer (12.42 mile) course with 156 turns. It begins at 2,792 meter (9,160 feet) and finishes at the 4,301 meter (14,110 feet) summit of the Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado Springs.

Kristaps Dambis, project director at Drive eO, said: “We are hugely excited about building world’s first one megawatt electric race car. We have built the car from the ground up and the majority of the components and design has been constructed in-house. We know that racing with a state-of-the-art vehicle comes along with new challenges, but we are well prepared after our Dakar Rally adventure and the two previous times we participated in the race at Pikes Peak. With great pride we’ll soon present the vehicle to the public and hopefully it will surprise everyone. Winning the event is our goal.”

The eO PP03 is currently being assembled at the workshop in Ogresgala Pagasts, near Latvia’s capital city Riga, and is expected to undergo first testing in May. The experienced driver piloting the one megawatt electric race car will be announced in April. The race takes place on Sunday, June 28, 2015 in Colorado Springs, USA.

eO PP03 technical specifications:

• All wheel drive
• Six YASA-400 electric motors with eO controllers
• Peak power 1020 kW / peak torque 2160 Nm
• 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with BMS
• Single reduction gear / limited slip axle differentials
• Steel tubular spaceframe with carbon fibre body
• Electrically assisted power steering
• 4-way adjustable shock absorbers
• Ventilated brake discs Ø378 mm front / Ø330 mm rear
• 320/710 R18 slick tyres / 13” × 18” wheels
• Kerb weight: 1200 kg
• Top speed: 260 km/h