First electric McRae Buggy makes debut, shows off [w/video]

As we were telling you, Tim Coronel is just plain nuts! is planning on competing in the 2012 Dakar Rally aboard an all-electric McRae Buggy. This serious test for electric propulsion has now officially taken its first steps with the wraps being removed from the first version of their battery-powered Buggy.

Using numbers crunched by students from Delft University of Technology and built with the help of their partners in the project, All Green Vehicles (ADV) and ProDakar, the 4X2 prototype boasts a modest 90kW motor and is based on their two-time Dakar-winning machine. The plan is to submit the Buggy to extreme punishment under a wide range of conditions in several different countries, including Spain, Morocco and France to simulate what it may face in the Atacama desert where the Dakar is now held.

The results from testing will help inform the design of the 2012 electric Dakar Buggy which, as you may remember, should incorporate a 200kW motor and 54 kWh battery pack. Hit the jump for video of the stage reveal as well as a bit of pavement hoonage.

[Source: McRae Buggy]