|
Technical Problem
Scrubs Speed Record Try
Builder
Colin Fallows stands next to his British electric "e=motion"
car with driver Mark Newby inside Thursday, May 5, 2005, south of West
Wendover, Nevada. The attempt to set a new land speed record by an electric
car was aborted due to a voltage problem and cross winds that made the
try unsafe. The group planned to try again Friday.
Colin
Fallows and Mark Newby
WASHINGTON
POST ARTICLE May 6 2005 11:00pm
WEST
WENDOVER, Nevada - A British team's attempt to establish a new speed
record for electric-powered vehicles was scrubbed Friday, the second day
weather and technical problems foiled efforts.
The record attempt in the Nevada desert was scrapped because of a
problem in the drive controller, the unit that controls the electric
motor.
"It's an electrical gremlin. It could be related to cold, damp
temperatures in the Nevada
desert," team member Colin Fallows
said.
"It's just one of those things _ never get involved in cars,"
said the other team member, Mark Newby.
Newby is to trying to eclipse the record for an electric car weighing
more than 2,200 pounds by using a vehicle with 52 batteries and no
mechanical gears. The existing record is 245 mph, set by an American
team in 1999.
They planned to ready the car for one last attempt at the record
Saturday on a closed highway about 25 miles south of West Wendover.
Another group, racing street cars, was arriving for a race Sunday on the
same closed highway, and the British team said it was running out of
money to extend its stay.
Gusty wind and battery problems on Thursday delayed the first
record-breaking attempt.
The car uses compact, industrial motors and drives made by Swiss
engineering company ABB Ltd.
Checking
the controller settings
On the Net:
Team: http://www.abb.com/e(equals)motion
LINKS:
washingtonpost.com:
Contact
Us | About
Us | Work
at washingtonpost.com | Advertise
| Media
Center
Site
Index | Site
Map | Archives
| E-mail
Newsletters | RSS
Feeds | Wireless
Access
The Washington Post:
Subscribe
| Subscriber
Services | Advertise
| Electronic Edition
| Online Photo
Store The
Washington Post Store
The Washington Post Company:
Information
and Other Post Co. Websites
|
