Electric beats gas. At least on the drag strip!
Broom! Or shoud we say Bzzzzz! The video shows how a real sleeper, a 1972 Datsun Sedan converted to EV beats a 2005 Corvette on the drag strip. The Datsun, called the White Zombie, makes 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds, far better than any other street legal car. Or if you want to push it harder, from 0 to 109 mph in 11.9 seconds (hey, not for road use!)
The car is a creation of John Wayland and shows one of the best benefits of electric motors in a car: full torque from the very beginning. The motors installed on the White Zombie are modified forklift units, mated to a set of 36 V batteries, although no word is given on distance on a full charge but my guess is quite a number of strips.
Like many pioneers in the EV world, Wayland's purpose was showing to the world that the Electric Car is a reality and it can be better than the gasoline counterparts, called "gassers". Nevertheless, those EV dragsters were banned at a certain moment because they were considered dangerous but now they're back and accepted at national competitions.
Related:
- The Norwich Area Global Warming Action Group puts on a hybrid car race
- Exclusive: Live shots of the Ford Hydrogen Fusion 999
- Are you kidding me? Woolsey and Eberhard drag-racing in a Tesla Roadster?
- White Zombie EV Datsun 1200 does 106 mph on the strip
[Source: WSJ Online]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
carwaterguide.blogspot.com 1:08AM (12/01/2008)
it's has review many sites like gas for free,run your car on water etc.
http://carwaterguide.blogspot.com
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Fabio 10:34AM (8/02/2007)
Ehm... *cough* where's the video?
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Domenick 11:14AM (8/02/2007)
There are videos on youtube. Here's one.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zp_jwE0KdOk Here's one with some technical explanation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PRkpn2xmjc&NR=1
And here's a similar story MSNBC did a week ago. It's got the Killacycle as well. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20024352/
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A.Brien 11:22AM (8/02/2007)
Electric cars have better motricity. If it were power by fuelcells instead of batteries the car will be lighter and have maximum power up to the end contrary to batteries that fade away near the end of the charge. I hope that guy try an electric fuelcell. Microcell sell fuelcells that are cheaps and reliables.
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Charles S 2:31PM (8/02/2007)
For whatever reason that Autobloggreen was not able to post the direct link to WSJ Blog, just google for "Energy roundup wsj" to get to the blog page, and then use the wsj's search box for the title "racing to the finish".
The video is nicely edited, and offers some information about the history of EV in dragracing.
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Tachy 8:28AM (8/04/2007)
It's controlled by a Zilla controller for DC-motors...
I'm still waiting for Otmar's "Z3P" Zilla, the Zilla for three-phase AC motors, cause DC-Motors don't support regenerative braking.
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