fordfocuselectric
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2010
- Messages
- 113
The Pikes Peak race is famous around the world for testing the limits of vehicles and their drivers. THe race start at over 9000 feet above sea level and ends at 14000 feet above sea level. At levels that high, the amount of oxygen in the air is a lot less. That's precisely why the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle performed so well - batteries and electric motors don't need any oxygen at all to operate, so power and driveability was the same from the start to the end of the race.
Althought the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle only completed the race in a time comparable to the slower gasoline powered engines, this definitely proved the technology in the electric vehicle. The Nissan Leaf was in stock format just like someone would buy, while the gasoline engines are highly modified race cars.
An interesting tidbit: Nissan says at the end of the race the charge gauge indicated 3 of the 12 bars of charge left in the batteries. Considering it's only a 12 mile course, that doesn't bode well for the range of the electric vehicle, but it would be highly illegal to drive the Leaf in the same manner anywhere on public roads anyway!
Althought the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle only completed the race in a time comparable to the slower gasoline powered engines, this definitely proved the technology in the electric vehicle. The Nissan Leaf was in stock format just like someone would buy, while the gasoline engines are highly modified race cars.
An interesting tidbit: Nissan says at the end of the race the charge gauge indicated 3 of the 12 bars of charge left in the batteries. Considering it's only a 12 mile course, that doesn't bode well for the range of the electric vehicle, but it would be highly illegal to drive the Leaf in the same manner anywhere on public roads anyway!
