I am powering through the first corner at Brands Hatch, the incredibly steep and treacherous offcamber Paddock Hill Bend, clinging onto my machine as it maxes out.
I hit the bottom and start the climb towards the Druids Hairpin. Gravel and kerbs rush past. The incline kicks in and my machine slows from its gravity-assisted maximum. Yes, the 25kph readout on the speedometer becomes 24, 23, 22, 20, 17, 13… and I start to scoot. My leg starts to hurt. The turn is still a very long way away.
The idea was simple. Autocar’s publisher has set up a new website called Move Electric to cover (you guessed it) all forms of electric mobility. To celebrate the launch and highlight its broad remit, the team has decamped to Brands for the day to attempt to set seven electric lap records on and in various two- and four-wheel conveyances. Fortunately, no such records already exist.
Even more fortunately, I’m on the Indy Circuit, not the full Grand Prix layout. Although as I cross the line, now thankfully largely under the Perry eHopper P4 scooter’s own power, my lap record of 5min 10.03sec (don’t forget those three hundredths) seems like quite long enough.
It’s the longest time by quite some margin, which goes to show the diversity of our assorted EVs.
In addition to the e-scooter (which, despite its speed, is still illegal on UK public roads), there’s a Gocycle G4 electrically assisted bicycle, an Apex Predator electric skateboard that can do the good side of 30mph, a Rolls-Royce Phantom V electromodded by Lunaz and worth £1 million, a Silence S01 Connected moped, a Citroën ë-Dispatch XL van and a Tesla Model 3. You will be unsurprised to learn that the Tesla was the fastest thing out there.
How fast? Put it this way: we got only one shot at this, in a moment snatched during a typical test day for high-octane race cars. We all started at more or less the same moment, giving ourselves a small run up to the start line to make the laps as quick as possible. The Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive (range 267 miles; seats five; legs required to propel it nil) crossed the line in 1min 06.8sec, before I had even reached the first corner, despite its speed limiter being set to 87mph. It averaged 65mph; I averaged 14mph.
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