 On a chilly December 15th, Dennis Berube arrived at the Speedworld Dragstrip in Whitman, Arizona, marking the first time an electric race car powered by Altair Nanotechnologies had appeared in competition. Though he was there to field test a new battery setup, the awesome power in the new pack allowed him to shatter his old record in the process... a record that had held for over 7 years! Berube's quickest run of the day was 8.10s @ 153.6 mph -- a personal best.
Mario DiMarco, who's been involved with EV racing for over 13 years, helped Berube acquire the new batteries. Mario worked with engineers from Altair Nanotechnologies to implement the new lithium-titanate cells into a 390V 6ah configuration. DiMarco's states on his website, "It is very exciting when a new chapter in electric vehicle racing unfolds in front of you. Dennis Berube has been racing his dragster The Current Eliminator-V for a long time, and all of his records up to date have been made using lead acid batteries."
The high-tech Altair Nanotechnologies pack weighed less than 200lbs yet produced more power than his previous 600lb pack of lead-acid batteries. The new pack was recharged between races to ensure top performance, but unlike other lithium chemistries required no additional thermal management. After several race/recharge cycles the battery pack temperature stayed around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Jim Ludiker (who holds an NEDRA drag racing record of his own) was also involved with Berube's latest race. "We had no idea this car was going to have this much power, we were only using 55% of the energy on board, the car will be getting bigger wider tires for the next time out," he said. Berube confirmed, "We did not come close to using all the power and energy available."
This event is significant for several reasons...
- It was CE-V's first time racing with the new battery pack.
- The batteries were operated at relatively low current levels.
- The weather was cold causing poor track conditions.
- The car's mechanical setup was not yet optimized for the lighter weight and increased horsepower.
"We are truly thrilled for Dennis," said Dr. Alan Gotcher, President and CEO of Altair Nanotechnologies, "Not only is it a great milestone for Dennis, but it is a great milestone for the alternative energy transportation industry," Dr. Gotcher continued, "People think of electric vehicles as golf carts, but as Dennis's new world record shows, electric vehicles are extremely powerful and capable of impressive speeds."
Recently Bill Dube's A123-powered Killacycle has received its share of the limelight when it became the first electric drag vehicle to dip into the 7 second ET region for the 1/4 mile. From the looks of it, Berube isn't far behind and may very well catch up.
The race to the 6's is on!
Update: Be sure to check out the photos obtained by Green Car Advisor.
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Friday, September 10, 2010 
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