MOTORSPORT: Aussie EV drag racer

The drag racing world could be turned on its head if an Australian company, Top EV Racing, delivers on its promise to obliterate the best acceleration times currently set by traditional top fuelers.

With peak power of 3000hp or around 2200kW created by an electric motor, Top EV Racing reckons it can smash the world record for an EV, which is 612km/h – roughly half the speed of sound.

The company is predicting the following drag strip times:

0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 0.8 sec
0 to 440 km/h (275 mph) in 3.0 sec
0 to 530 km/h (330 mph) in 4.5 sec

Under full acceleration, the g-force expected to be exerted on the driver would be slightly more than 7g. So, if the driver weighs 100kg, he or she would essentially weigh 700kg.

The dragster will be "Top EV and Top Fuel specified" say its creators, and will meet ANDRA, NHRA and FIA Regulations.

Power will be provided by "Bespoke motor drive components and systems" says Top EV. The company will engineer the vehicle itself as there is nothing off the shelf to meet requirements.

The company says it "will see to the task of putting more than 2.5 MegaWatts of electrical power down to the racetrack, both safely and repeatably."

Energy requirements are unique. The use of a large 100kWh Lithium-ion battery storage system which can be charged via a special solar kit will provide all the power the vehicle needs. The 100kWh storage setup will then "fast charge" the race car’s "energy storage packs". These energy storage packs are yet to be specified, but could be super capacitors.

"We have set out to achieve eight world speed and elapsed time records, in both drag racing and land speed," reads the blurb on the Top EV Racing website.

The "Solar-supercharged electric race car" was conceived by Michael Fragomeni, an electronic engineer and drag racing enthusiast. The idea was first floated in 2012 and has gained some momentum since.

Electric vehicles or EVs are becoming more and more common and, importantly, more affordable. One of the drivers of EV technology is motorsport, with the global Formula E Championship pushing the boundaries of what EV race cars can do.

Now it appears that this drag racing EV will take things to a new level – assuming the project takes off. The company has several sponsors but requires ongoing funding. It has a donate page on its website and is understood to be seeking big name sponsors for the project.

Will the project take off, and can EV dominate a sport inhabited by combustion engines? Have your say in the comments section below.