The ‘Projekt E’ Electric Rally car is faster than a Tesla Roadster. It can do 0-60 mph in 1.8 seconds and is lighter than most electric cars on the market.
Projekt E is a brand new racing series that will start in 2020 as part of the World Rally Championship. The electric rally car racing series is the result of a partnership between IMG, the promoter of FIA World Rally Cross and STARD (Stohl Advanced Research And Development), an Austrian Racing Team.
STARD, through their expertise in racing, has created a brand new electric rally car that can put most of the modern sports car to shame. The company is using the body of a Ford Fiesta ST equipped with three electric motors.
STARD will supply electric cars for the Projekt E racing series in 2020. They predict that almost 12-15 private racing teams will participate in the competition and STARD will provide them with the electric powertrains.
Here’s everything you need to about the world’s first electric rally car.
Projekt E Electric Rally Car Faster Than A Tesla Roadster
The electric car for the Projekt E racing series begins its life as a Ford Fiesta ST. The car is then completely stripped down to its basic shell, leaving the external body, wheels and probably the dashboard, intact.
After that, three electric motors, one at the front axle and two at the back, are installed in the car to produce around 600 HP and 1100 Nm of torque. A sizeable battery pack is also placed under the car to power these motors.
The entire interior of the Ford Fiesta ST is stripped down and the entire frame is reinforced with a roll cage. In the end, the front and rear bumper along with side skirts are replaced with a wider body kit.
The result of all this modification is an electric car capable of traveling from 0-60 mph in 1.8 seconds, which is faster than Tesla Roadster at 1.9 seconds.
To give you an idea of how fast this electrified Ford Fiesta ST is, veteran Rally Racing Driver François Delecour, while test riding it said this about the car:
“It’s fun, it’s fantastic. Unbelievable.” Further commenting on the raw power of the electric rally car, he said it is “not easy, not easy at all” to control this car.
Another automotive expert and former Fifth Gear presenter, Tiff Needell, praised the work of STARD and IMG in the latest video. According to him, electric cars are perfect for rally racing due to the short lap distance. It’ll allow electric rally cars to simply deliver a lot of power without worrying about the battery range.
“Rally Cross really does lend itself to electrification, probably more so than any other motorsport,” said Tiff.
“Short-run times of just a few laps mean that battery power can sustain a whole race, negating the need for lifting and coasting and allowing drivers to race with full power at their disposal.” he further said.
Electric Rally Championship In 2020
The ‘Projekt E’ series will begin in 2020 and STARD will be the official supplier of the electric powertrains for all the participating teams. They will be limiting their role to being the supplier and won’t participate in the racing series.
One of the CEOs of STARD is Manfred Stohl of STOHL Racing and that’s one of the reasons why they successfully built an electric rally car which is faster than an F1 Race Car.
The FORD Fiesta ST used in this case won’t be the only make or model available as all the teams will be able to choose from any car that they want to race with.
Once electrification takes over Rally Racing completely, the competition is only going to become more intense. Conventional rally cars can already achieve 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds. Therefore an even more powerful electric powertrain will take the sport to an entirely another level.
Are you excited about the future of Rally Racing? Let me know in the comments below.
