What's the news?

Drayson Racing has set a new World Electric Land Speed Record, 204.185mph, at Elvington Airfield. The record is subject to confirmation by the FIA but beats the previous 175mph speed record, which has stood for almost forty years. Lord Drayson - motor sport enthusiast, entrepreneur and ex-government minister - drove the Drayson B12 69/EV electric Le Mans Prototype for the record breaking runs on 25th June.

Commenting on the run Lord Drayson said; "I'm delighted we beat the record last night and can show the world EVs can be fast and reliable. Drayson Racing is a laboratory for EV technology, testing it to the most extreme level, as we've seen today."

According to Drayson the greatest challenge was accelerating a 1,000kg electric vehicle in a limited space for the measured mile runs. As well as the speed record the run set some new British records for electric vehicle acceleration. The former Science and Innovation minister also thanked the project's partners including QualcommHalo, Michelin, Multimatic and Cosworth.

Anything else?

The purpose of the record breaking run was to show what is possible with an electric drivetrain and show Britain's place as a leader in the EV industry. Drayson Racing's focus will now shift to the Formula E racing series for electric single seaters. For the 2014 season Drayson will use a Spark-Renault SRT10E while developing its own car for 2015; applying lessons and technology from the record-breaking run.

John Lambert - 1 Jul 2013