Peugeot EX1 electric concept sets eighth-mile, quarter-mile records

Peugeot wheeled out its electric sports car, the EX1, at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The French automaker initially constructed the EX1 to celebrate its 200th anniversary, but with an impressive amount of thrust – 250 kilowatts (340 horsepower) from a pair of electric motors, one attached to each axle – the EX1 has gone on to become a record-setting battery-powered automobile.

Driven by French explorer Nicolas Vanier and Chinese blogger Han Han, the Peugeot EX1 recently set several records for an electric vehicle. During the record-setting event, which took place at China's Chengdu military airport in the province of Sichuan, the EX1 established an unofficial time of 3.49 seconds in the sprint from 0-to-100 kilometers per hour (0-62 miles per hour). Officially, driver Han Han set times of 7.0862 seconds in the eighth-mile sprint and 12.6754 seconds in the quarter-mile run. According to Peugeot, both the eighth-mile and quarter-mile runs established record times for an electric vehicle.

[Source: Peugeot]

PRESS RELEASE

Peugeot moves up a gear in China with the EX1 concept which is breaking new records in the Marque's bicentenary year.

The 100% electric Peugeot EX1 concept car, which already set several records in Montlhéry in September, has continued its record-breaking streak in the Chinese city of Chengdu, in front of 200 representatives of the Chinese and Western media.Records set by Nicolas Vanier, the French explorer, and Han Han, the well-known Chineseblogger.

The EX1 matched or surpassed 5 records in the series of runs made at the Chengdu military airport in the province of Sichuan. These various records were set by 2 drivers symbolising Franco-Chinese friendship: Han Han, driver, writer and China's most popular blogger who has a massive fan base among the country's urban youth and Nicolas Vanier, French explorer, film-maker anddriver who has a fascination for the Poles and is an untiring defender of the environment.

Han Han pulverised the official records initially set in Montlhéry for 1/8 mile and 1/4 milewith times of 7''08'''62'''' and 12''67'''54'''' respectively. These records have been certified and will be approved by the Chinese Auto Sports Federation which validated the quality and accuracy of measurements made.

Nicolas Vanier achieved unofficial records for 0 to 100 km/h, in 3.49 seconds, and for the 400 m. He also achieved the symbolic longitudinal acceleration of 1G, over 39 m. This series of performances represents a world benchmark in terms of acceleration for anelectric vehicle and testifies to the advanced, high-tech know-how of Peugeot when itcomes to alternative propulsion methods for the car.