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>> 17/August/2011 - Record breaking EV passes 1000 mile barrier

Wikipedia says range anxiety is a major barrier to the adoption of electric cars. Getting stuck somewhere with insufficient battery energy to get home is one of the consumers worst fears.

Team Schluckspecht from the University of Applied Sciences Offenburg took a giant step forward last weekend, albeit an experimental one, to alleviate the fear by driving an electric vehicle for 1631.5km (1013.7 miles) on a single charge.

It took the team of 4 drivers 36 hours and 12 minutes to complete the record breaking drive at Bosch's Boxberg test track.

Power for the wheel hub electric motors comes from 14 lithium cobalt batteries. The purpose built exerimental EV has a new design light weight chasis with a slippery wind tunnel optimized shell. Obviously all creature comforts were dispensed with to break the old 1003km record.

Battery capacity isn't as big as you'd think with only 23 kWh in the tank (so to speak) pushing the EV to it's average speed of 45 km/h.

Google translate says Schluckspecht means Gobbler - one who swallows large mouthfuls. Sounds like Guzzler might be more accurate, or perhaps anti-guzzler?

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