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Students make epic electric car journey

18/11/2010

A project planned to prove a new electric car has stamina has been completed successfully by a group of London students. The journey from Alaska to Argentina was made over the course of five months, longer than the planned three, in the SRZero car, which has no pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. With two engines powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries, the car can reach 60mph in seven seconds, and has a top speed of 124mph. The project took two years of careful planning by The Racing Green Endurance Project team at London Imperial College, and Dr David Howey told Sky News Online: "There was a lot of scepticism, so we're all very pleased that the cynics will now have to eat their words". Despite the £750,000 price tag of the trip, the group saved a fortune on petrol, making the full distance with just a £3 charge along the way, according to the Metro. "The SRZero was literally being charged from energy taken straight out of the earth," said project leader Alex Schey. They crossed the Andes twice, the Atacama desert and got through scorching heat as well as sub-zero temperatures to complete the course in the roofless car – which was also hit by tropical downpours. The six man team say they were "surprised" and "pleased" with the reception they got from locals along the 16,000 mile route with their trip attracting "interest from all over the world". In total they drove for 70 days and passed through 14 countries, with their only major challenge being how to get from Panama to Colombia as a strip of water separated them from the open road. Solving this with a short flight, and boat trip for the car, the team also had an electrical short on the electric sports car along the way. Using social networking site Twitter on their epic trip, their final message read, "We have made it - we are in Ushuaia! "So many emotions, so many people to thank. It has been two absolutely incredible years."

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