All-electric dragster sets electric vehicle quarter mile record

The last time we saw a vehicle powered by high-power lithium-ion batteries, it was the crazy-fast KillaCycle, and it was lodged neatly inside a minivan after being too much for its owner to handle. Well, it looks like the same battery tech is behind another ridiculously fast ride, only this time it's an actual drag racer driven by an actual race car driver, and it's setting NHRA electric vehicle quarter-mile records: the Current Eliminator V, driven by Dennis "Kilowatt" Berube, beat the old record on Saturday by posting a quarter-mile time of 8.10 seconds at 153.6MPH at the Speedworld Motorplex strip in Tuscon. That's somewhat behind the KillaCycle's record of 7.82 seconds at 168MPH, but given the added weight of the car's chassis and problems we've seen others have with high-torque all-electric transmissions, it's still pretty impressive.

[Via TG Daily]

[JosephMohmed @ Dec 17th 2007 10:50PM]

I'm going to point out a minor spelling mistake in a super clever and funny way even though the first ten comments will likely do the same.

others*

[jbcaro @ Dec 17th 2007 11:04PM]

Hey, I live just north of Tuscon in Pheonix.

[Darkest Daze @ Dec 17th 2007 11:05PM]

and and they fixed it.

[computer.dude.28 @ Dec 17th 2007 10:54PM]

Good catch, but nobody else is commenting on this..
"we've seen othes"

[computer.dude.28 @ Dec 17th 2007 11:01PM]

and they've fixed it..

[Andrew @ Dec 17th 2007 11:02PM]

Neat setup, they should run a continuously variable transmission or something.

[pushlatency @ Dec 17th 2007 11:03PM]

Can I be invited to the correction party?

My contribution here is that you should consider changing the title to appropriately state a more significant achievement then the present one suggests.

According to TG Daily, this thing (Current Eliminator V) set a record in its Class (NHRA Super Pro) - which includes gas and alcohol powered dragsters. This is the way things should be, EVs competing against (and outperforming) conventional ICE powered vehicles.

[KillaCycle @ Dec 17th 2007 11:42PM]

National Electric Drag Racing Association (http://www.NEDRA.com) keeps electric drag racing records. The NHRA doesn't keep electric records.

Also, the battery technology is completely different from the KillaCycle. The KillaCycle uses A123Systems Nanophosphate cells, a technology invented at MIT.

[Yevon @ Dec 17th 2007 11:05PM]

"car's chassis and and problems"

What typing program do you guys use?! I want to avoid it...

[Jhongerkong @ Dec 17th 2007 11:08PM]

Micro$oft Word 20XX: Pirated HAXXORZ Edition

[skhawaja @ Dec 18th 2007 12:49AM]

They fixed the spelling error right next to it, but sorry there's no grammar check, yet :[

[Jhongerkong @ Dec 17th 2007 11:07PM]

Thats the first non-gay electric car ive ever seen.

[Yevon @ Dec 17th 2007 11:17PM]

Hello, Tesla? Obviously you have not seen many modern electric cars... Although inexpensive ones are not very sexy / street legal in the US.

[Patuxentbball @ Dec 18th 2007 12:27AM]

What about the Tesla or the Volt?

[Mike Ryan @ Dec 18th 2007 1:15AM]

i'd hate to see what you think is gay

[oshean @ Dec 17th 2007 11:47PM]

With the advent of electric vehicles lightning bolts will become the new fender flames.

[Yubastard @ Dec 17th 2007 11:52PM]

LOL I second that! Me wants some lightning bolts in my car.

[Chris @ Dec 18th 2007 12:34AM]

I simply had to comment about this; Thank God (or your variation). People need to understand that gas doesn't make the automobile. You can break speed records even if it's only compared with other electric cars. The need for speed, the need for size, the need for 4x4, and any other reason people have to love their gas-over-electric cars need to be publicized. You can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to leaving gas behind.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for oil overall. Every time you use plastic, you contribute to using oil. Every time you drive your electric car on a tar-road, you contribute to oil. And every time you do almost anything, oil is there. (Oh no! you scream, when I f*** that skank at the bar I use a rubber...that contributes to oil too)

[skhawaja @ Dec 18th 2007 12:48AM]

Canadians eh? ;}

[euclid @ Dec 18th 2007 1:49AM]

looks like one half of a pelican beak.... with flames.

[Rock Stone @ Dec 18th 2007 2:26AM]

Maybe have a skinny guy drive it so you can beat the KillaCycle.

[HyperHacker @ Dec 18th 2007 2:37AM]

I know what I want for Christmas.

[Karl Viklund @ Dec 18th 2007 4:52AM]

Can you guys "over there" start to use metric some day?

[Andrew @ Dec 18th 2007 7:17AM]

If you're going to plug your blog, at least make a halfway decent comment first.

[Andrew @ Dec 18th 2007 7:20AM]

As long as politicians remain in educational mediocrity, then no. Why do you think we keep investing in foreign oil, going to war, and making religion the most heated debate topic?

[Gordy @ Dec 18th 2007 8:39AM]

If it's endorsed by Bob Vila, it has to be cool...right?

[jbcaro @ Dec 18th 2007 9:50AM]

They still haven't corrected the spelling error for the location of the Speedworld Motorplex that I made reference to in the second post.

It's Tucson. Not Tuscon.

[Wwhat @ Dec 18th 2007 12:37PM]

It's electric, yet uses a combustible engine

lithium-ion you see ;)

[azGTR @ Dec 18th 2007 1:22PM]

Also worth noting, Speedworld motorplex is in Wittmann Az, nowhere near Tuscon which is 151 miles away...

[Technex @ Dec 18th 2007 2:51PM]

Humm, start focusing on making A123 cells lighter ;). RC helicopter packs please, at a reasonable weight :D.

[Kevin @ Dec 18th 2007 9:25PM]

I would like to point out that this could be the quickest electric car, it is far from the fastest. The Buckeye Bullet (from Ohio State University) went 314 mph back in October of 2000 on batteries.
http://www.buckeyebullet.com

[Kevin @ Dec 18th 2007 9:27PM]

Excuse my mistake, it was October of 2004...

[Butch @ Dec 20th 2007 4:51PM]

The record set by the electric dragster was done at SPEEDWORLD DRAGSTRIP located in WITTMANN ARIZONA north of PHOENIX and a long way from TUCSON.