Electrathon cars set record
for efficiency at Ford
Michigan Proving Grounds.
ELECTRATHON
EXTREME EFFICIENCY TRIALS
On July 20, 2009, four of the fastest
lightweight, aerodynamic streamliners in the
country vied for a new Electrathon world
record on the facility’s superb 5 mile oval.
The winner, Team Electrolite of Portland,
ME, covered a phenomenal 62.05 miles in
17-19 July 2009 Ford Michigan Proving Grounds, Romeo, MI
one hour using production lead-acid
batteries producing only 1.3 horsepower
(950 watts), or less power than a common hair dryer. This translates to 15.3
The Electrathon Extreme Efficiency
watt/hours per mile, or nearly 2200 miles per gallon at freeway speeds.
Trials were held in conjunction with the
The vehicle, dubbed Eracer, was designed, built and driven by C. Michael
Lewis, who credits the smooth shape and extremely low frontal area as major
factors in the accomplishment. “But”, he adds, “it would still be a work on
paper without the help of my engineer, Fred Writt, throughout the 18 month
construction process and the meticulous preparation.”
Coming in a close second at 60.93 miles was driver Steve Nash in a car
designed and built by Dave Cloud of Woodenville, WA. With a single driven
front wheel its layout is completely opposite the single rear wheel drive of the
Eracer. Race strategies differed as well, with Lewis coming slowly up to speed
while the Cloud car disappeared in the distance until nearly the end of the
hour. This closely fought East/West Coast rivalry extends back 10 years,
when the Electrathon record was a ‘mere’ 40mph. They battled last fall on
the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Dave’s daughter Shannon set a record 110
mph standing mile, besting Team Electrolite’s 100 mph.
Michigan Human Powered Speed
Challenge, a weekend of record setting
HPV events at the Ford Michigan
Proving Grounds. Over a dozen world
records fell, due in part to the quality
and sheer size of this facility. Most
notable was a 56 mile, one hour run
by Canadian cyclist Sam Whittingham,
now unquestionably the world’s fastest
human in George Geogiev’s Varna
Tempest.
Third place in Michigan went to Barclay Henry, 56.88 miles in his radically
offset Team Pak-Lite entry from Grant’s Pass, Oregon. An unexpected battery
output of only 30 A/hr limited what should have been a great run. Earlier in
the day he pedalled another equally creative machine for 38 miles in an hour
of extreme effort, lying on his back in an enclosed streamliner, facing
backwards while steering by looking in a mirror! Barclay designed and built
both vehicles and is an intense competitor.
Young Bradlee Meyers of Pomeroy, IA also experienced uncharacteristic
battery problems, and rounded out the field with a distance of 50.96 miles.
He was the Iowa state high school Electrathon champion, designing and
building the current car himself with support at the races from his father Ron.
Electrathon America sanctions around
30 races a year in a dozen states, and
has done so for nearly 30 years. The
rules are simple enough to allow a
wide variety of creative designs, and
although it's open to everyone, the
majority of the current 250 vehicles
represent school teams because the
sport offers an affordable test of
imagination, skill, discipline and
teamwork. And, striving to foster an
ethic of efficiency, it promotes the
development of alternative energy
transportation in compelling style
Offi cial website: www.recumbents.com/wisil/fordchallenge2009/
contact: C. Michael Lewis (207) 773-3006 [email protected] more info at: www.electrathonamerica.org