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Acciona 100% Ecopowered First Ever Electric Car To Finish Dakar Rally
Acciona 100% Ecopowered First Ever Electric Car To Finish Dakar Rally
In its third attempt, the Acciona 100% Ecopowered 4?4 battery-electric car completed the grueling Dakar Rally in South America, finishing 53rd in its class.
Without consuming a drop of gasoline or diesel fuel or emitting a single gram of CO2, the Acciona team drove the 100% Ecopowered EV over the 5,600-mile rally course that stretched across the deserts and mountains of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay in 111 hours.
Acciona, a Spanish energy firm, spent five years developing the battery-powered vehicle specifically to compete in the Dakar Rally.
The team managed to overcome the extreme weather conditions over Bolivia and northern Argentina with rain and mudslides wreaking havoc on the race that caused several stages to be shortened and cancelled. Nearly a quarter of the vehicles failed to finish the rally.
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The electric racer was equipped with a 340 horsepower synchronous electric motor that delivers 516 pounds-feet of torque, six fast-charging on-board batteries and a roof-mounted photovoltaic solar panel to recharge the vehicle?s primary power systems.
The Acciona team was thrilled by the victory.
?The odyssey is over? said Acciona driver Ariel Jat?n. ?This year?s Dakar was very tough, with some very intense stages complicated by the weather, and the altitude in Bolivia.?
By finishing the race, Acciona proved that electric cars can prevail in the roughest road environment using zero-emission powered batteries.
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