Charge! Electric Racers Attack Pikes Peak
The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is quickly turning into a Nurburgring equivalent when it comes to bragging rights of electric vehicle makers. The venue is perfect for EVs: The track is 12.42 miles long, as cinch even for the most range-challenged EV. The track finishes at 14,110 ft, a height that deprives ICE-powered cars of oxygen and some 40 percent of their power. An EV just laughs at the breathless engines. I learn all those trivia today in Mitsubishi’s showroom in Tamachi, Tokyo. A descendant on Mitsubishi’s iMiev will be part of the electrified hill climb.
The last year’s winner was the Toyota TMG EV P002. It will defend its title. Across town in Tokyo, Mitsubishi fields its MiEV Evolution II all-electric racer. The sport appears to be one for mature men. Mitsubishi-driver and two-time Dakar Rally overall champion Hiroshi Masuoka is a relative youngster at age 53. Toyota’s driver Rod Millen is 61. Pikes Peak legend Monster Tajima, himself 63, won’t return in an EV, but will arrive with a 670hp hachi-roku.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Electric cars accelerate faster than ICE cars. No turbos, no superchargers, JUST PURE TORQUE. Problem is, their discharge rate is usually never high enough to compensate for their shortage of gears and their MASSIVE curb weight so they end up running out of steam and not having very high top speeds. The way I see it, Tesla needs to make a VEYRON KILLER (so my shares increase in value!).
The competition will be electrifying, and sparks will certainly fly. Sorry...bad coffee today.