Silent running
Drayson Racing Technologies has broken the world land speed record for a lightweight electric vehicle, with the Lola B12 69/EV. The car recorded a top speed of 328.6km/h (204.2mph) at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. I think that it is quite pretty, in a my-wife-would-never-approve kind of way, although the range (as far as the extension cable) and luggage capacity (none) might be problematic.
Motorsport's international governing body, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), is planning to establish the Formula E championship next year, with races in eight locations, including London, Rome, Miami, Beijing, and Rio de Janeiro. It's not clear to me whether the sponsorship will move from the oil companies to Duracell.
These cars may have the speed, but the throaty roar and fumes are largely missing, along with the sense of drama. They sound little more impressive than remote-controlled, battery-powered toy racers. Although that may not be such a bad thing for local residents should they start 24-hour racing.
Britain's last entry into the world of electric vehicle racing wasn't nearly as successful. A later enquiry, however, identified the carriage of a full load of bottled milk as incurring a significant weight disadvantage.
2000 Peter Relf, milkfloats.org.uk