Source: treehugger.com
Published: January 17, 2017
© Acciona
The Acciona 100% EcoPowered rally car powered its way to the finish of the world’s toughest motor event without burning a drop of fuel and with no tailpipe emissions.
The iconic Dakar rally (formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally before its move to South America) is a grueling race that covers some 5,600 miles of rough terrain, and it chews up and spits out drivers and vehicles at every chance. It’s also a decidedly petroleum-centric competition, with gas-powered motorcycles, rally cars, and trucks all competing for a chance to top the podium in their respective categories. But a few years ago, a new entry in the Dakar rally took a totally different approach, and instead brought an electric vehicle to compete.
The first two attempts, in 2015 and 2016, weren’t successful, but this past week, the Acciona 100% EcoPowered vehicle became the first zero-emissions vehicle to finish the Dakar. It didn’t win the race, and in fact didn’t even place (the team actually came in last, but then again, 26% of all entries didn’t even finish), but considering the incredibly challenging conditions of this epic rally, just finishing it was enough, and in doing so, it made history.
“The 4×4 vehicle, crewed by Ariel Jatón and Tito Rolón, completed the world’s most arduous motor event to reach the finish line in Buenos Aires — the only one of over 18,000 vehicles in the history of the Dakar Rally to complete the event without consuming a drop of fuel or emitting a single molecule of CO2.” – Acciona Dakar
© Acciona
Built entirely in Spain, the home of Acciona (which is a leading Spanish renewable energy and infrastructure firm), the EcoPowered rally car is said to be “the most powerful electric car in the world” thanks to a 250 kW electric motor capable of producing 340 horsepower, coupled with six “ultra-fast charging” lithium battery packs with a 150 kWh capacity, and an onboard 100 W solar panel. With that battery and motor combo, the vehicle can run for about 200 kilometers “in race conditions,” with a 60 minute charge time to ‘refuel’ the batteries.
Although this electric car is something way above and beyond what most (non-racing) drivers need, and isn’t likely to ever be a production car, the research and development of a rugged and reliable electric vehicle that can charge in about an hour is yet another nail in the coffin for petroleum vehicles. Learn more about this history-making vehicle at Acciona Dakar.