Rhys Millen and his all-electric Drive eO single-seater race car made history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year with an overall win, the first ever by an electric vehicle.
Furthermore, the car that came in second place, Nobuhiro Tajima’s Rimac e-Runner, was also an electric vehicle. Rhys Millen won the legendary hill climb race with a new record time for battery-powered cars of 9 minutes 07.222 seconds. Tajima needed 9 minutes and 32.401 seconds to finish the race.
However, these times are way behind Sebastien Loeb’s extraordinary record from 2013, when he won the race in 8 minutes 13.878 seconds aboard the 875hp Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak.
The folks from Drive eO, the Latvian company that built Millen’s eO PP03 racer, hope that a few years from now, when batteries will hopefully become lighter, an electric car can break Peugeot’s record. The eO PP03 is an all-wheel drive car powered by six YASA-400 electric motors with eO controllers that produce a peak power of 1,020 kW (1,368hp) and a peak torque of 2,160Nm (1,593lb-ft). Power is sourced from a 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with Battery Management System.
Based on a steel tubular space frame, the car has a carbon fiber body, tipping the scales at 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs). The eO PP03 has a single reduction gear, limited slip axle differentials, electrically assisted power steering and 4-way adjustable shock absorbers. It can reach a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph).
Scroll down to watch it in action during Rhys Millen’s winning run. For the complete results of this year’s race, click here.
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