In January 2009, Aran Kankiwala, along with a team of ten, set out to build the longest range electric vehicle in the world and drive it down the entire 26,000 km length of the Pan-American highway from Alaska to Argentina. The goal? To promote using electric vehicles as a viable transport solution now, rather than waiting 20 years.
The first phase of the project was dedicated to raising the funds for the trip. By the summer of 2010, they had raised an astounding £500,000. Developing and producing the car required £250,000 - £300,000, and the balance is covering the cost of the trip.
The design and build began in August 2009, and the car was running just six months later. Aran, the Chief Powertrain Engineer, and four other engineers built the car from scratch in less time than it takes large companies to come up with prototype designs.
Aran, reports, "The car runs flawlessly now, and on a recent world-record breaking trip from London to Paris on a single charge, we proved that this is the longest range electric vehicle on the planet. It's no slow poke either; with 0-60 of sub-seven seconds, top speed of 120 mph, 220 horsepower, more torque than a Le mans car, and running range of over 300 miles!"
"People ask us why on earth we chose an open top racer for our trip. The answer is that it's simply to make the most impact. If we'd started with an electric version of a VW Golf, no one would care. We are trying to draw attention to using alternative energy for cars, and this is a brilliant way to do it. Just from driving the car around England, the reception we get is awesome!"
The Pan-American journey officially began in June 2010, in Alaska, and will last an estimated 100 days. The trip is being filmed and make into a six-part documentary by Claudio Von-Planta, who has produced such adventures as Long Way Round and Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Von-Planta notes on his website:
From July 2010 onwards, I will be filming Racing Green Endurance, a story about Imperial College graduates in London who built a record breaking electric super car with a range of over 500 km. I will follow these pioneering young engineers on the ultimate road test where they will drive the longest road in the world, the 26,000 km long Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina. Their message is simple: electric cars don't have to be slow and boring, they can be very fast and sexy.
This article first appeared in the TASIS England Today magazine, Autumn 2010 issue.