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The Paris-Dakar Rally is one of the toughest tests in international motorsport, pitting cars against blazing heat and shifting sand dunes. Acciona has become the first team to survive the torture test in an all-electric car, completing the 2017 event in the (catchily named) Acciona 100% EcoPowered.
The EcoPowered draws on a 250 kW (340 hp) synchronous electric motor, attached to all four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. There are six fast-charging lithium-ion batteries totalling 150 kWh within the chassis, supplemented by a 100 W solar panel on the roof. Each battery pack can be charged individually for faster pit stops, crucial in the fast and furious world of racing, while low-rolling resistance tires help to improve range.
This was the third time Acciona has tried to complete the Dakar. Having failed to complete the race in 2015, the team shifted focus and managed to complete the OiLybia International Morocco Rally. Using lessons learned in that competition, the 100% EcoPowered managed to complete 80 percent of the 2016 Dakar, but still fell short of the finish line.
It's a decent milestone for Electric Vehicles (EVs). How soon until such headlines disappear because EVs are so commonplace?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday January 26 2017, @06:24PM
Very true, but unlikely in a race where sand, rocks and the occasional water crossing means that you have to really shield each of your motors well. Not even talking about putting them unsprung in the wheels given how the suspension and ride would suffer.
The fact that the gearbox has 6 speeds is the highly unusual part for an electrical car...
(Score: 2) by Username on Thursday January 26 2017, @08:48PM
I’m guessing the gear box is there to keep the motor at a low rpm so it doesn’t overheat and boil out the dielectric. Or it’s a cheap one with limited rpms and gears are necessary. Or maybe they wired the battery direct to the motor and use the gear box to control speed to get the most range out of the battery.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 27 2017, @07:20AM
The gearbox is there to keep motor RPMs high. High RPMs keep motors cooler because electric motors are much more efficient and put out more power at high RPMs.
And no, you would never wire the motor directly to the battery. It would fry the motor, and you'd run the batteries down really fast. Electronic motor controllers have gotten very efficient; most are well over 90% (some stated 99%).