There are a couple of ways to get an electric vehicle. You can buy one, such as the Tesla Model S, or you can build one, such as John Metric’s Mazda Miata.
Nicknamed Assault & Battery, John Metric’s Mazda Miata has been through an electric vehicle conversion, replacing old dinosaur technology with 333V and 1100A worth of lithium-ion battery pack and a pair of electric forklift motors on the rear wheels. Granted, this isn’t something that you’re going to take to the corner store, but it’s right at home on the track in the newly formed Formula E series.
The National Electric Drag Racing Association [NEDRA] keeps track of some of the greatest accomplishments in speed and electric vehicle performance, so it’s only fitting that NEDRA President John Metric should have the privilege of setting a record with his converted Mazda Miata. The NEDRA XS/A2 class record is now set at 9.12s for a quarter-mile run, with a maximum speed of 145mph. Here you can see Metric’s car taking on some loud dinosaur in the opposite lane…
You’ll note that this video isn’t the record-setting run, which took place later that night. This video shows an earlier run, 9.16s and 144mph, not much worse, but in a game that counts to the 1/1000th of a second, that 1mph makes all the difference. You have to put a lot of power under the hood to pull off a 9-second run, and John Metric’s Mazda Miata, one of the fastest production-bodied electric vehicle conversions, still has room for improvement.
Image © HorsepowerPhotos [screenshot]
Lone Wolffe: What I’d really like to see is a magnet powered car with the same capabilities. or even an air compressed vehicle. I have heard that the problem with the air is the “exhaust” comes out ice cold. Great for summer but a problem in winter. Surely there must be simple solutions to these obstacles. they just haven’t been accidentally discovered yet…
cherykie well, a lot of automobile technology is tested on the track. Not sure if NEDRA has affiliations with automakers, but if so, this kind of performance tweaking could have real-world benefits.
How about designing a 6 passenger car with electric motor that runs for about 300 miles per charge, and that only has to achieve abt. 70 mph ???