Slide of
An electric revolution begins in a quiet corner of the UK
Sales of electric cars around the world are growing - and with the uptake set to continue growing exponentially, motorsport championships are starting to show an interest.
But while racing has Formula E, plans for electric rallycross or rallying have yet to get off the ground. Now, a private British team has beaten the manufacturers to the punch.
Click on the picture slider to read more.- Slide of
October 2017: Three Sisters marks the start of a new adventure
This eRally Team Renault Zoe has been developed by three stalwarts of the UK rally scene - Ellya Gold, Jean Hay and Tristan Dodd.
The car was certified to compete earlier this year, and drove in anger for the first time on the Adgespeed Rally at the Three Sisters circuit earlier this month.
It is believed to be the first electric rally car to compete on a stage event anywhere in the world. - Slide of
From road to rally stage: a Renault Zoe transformed
The eRally Team Zoe is based on the standard road car, with modifications largely confined to uprated suspension and tyres, plus safety equipment and lightening. The conversion work was done by preparation firm Stav-tec.
As such, it has equipment like a roll cage, bucket seats and fire extinguishers, but the additional weight is set off by the removal of all the interior trim and fixtures and fittings. - Slide of
Introducing a new concept to a new audience
The electric motor is standard and produces the same 87bhp and 162lb ft of torque as the first-generation Zoe on which it is based.
Although the car had sufficient range to complete the event, the team opted to charge it during services between stages in order to keep it at optimum levels and ensure the ECU was always willing to deliver maximum power. - Slide of
Driver and co-driver: writing a small piece of history
The eRally Team Zoe was driven by Cameron Davies, a British Rally Championship contender.
Davies started rallying as a 14-year-old in the Formula 1000 Junior Championship - a series for up-and-coming drivers who all compete in rally cars powered by relatively low powered 1.0-litre engines.
Davies was co-driven by Andrew Blackwood. - Slide of
Learning new lessons with every mile
After the event, Davies reported that the Zoe stood out from its opposition thanks to its superior handling and impressive brakes.
While the suspension is upgraded to reduce body roll and enhance handling precision, the brakes are standard.
The electric motor’s pulling power was good enough to keep up with petrol-powered cars in the Zoe’s class, recording 0-62mph times of around 13secs. - Slide of
Drive as fast as you can - but don't damage it
The eRally team instructed Davies to concentrate on getting miles in the car and not to risk an accidents, and he duly did just that.
His best result of the day was setting 24th fastest time of the 55 cars competing - a significant achievement, given many had more power and torque than he had on hand in the Zoe. - Slide of
It's a car, but not as you know it
Prior to the rally, the eRally Team Zoe had to be scrutineered by technical delegates from Britain’s MotorSports Association (MSA).
The car not only had to be declared well built and safe, but had to undergo more rigorous checks because of its novel powertrain. - Slide of
Education, education, education
The safety concerns also extended to marshals officiating at the event. Team member Hay did a pre-event briefing, explaining the potential hazards and how to react in the event of an accident.
“Both we and the MSA know there is some retraining to be done around the education of potential hazards,” says Dodd. “This was really the first stage on a long education process.” - Slide of
Plenty of time for a cuppa... and to read the paper
Beyond plugging the car into a three-pin socket to tickle its charge, the eRally Team Zoe service crew didn’t have to perform any maintenance during the day - an unusual situation, given the more normal bare minimum requirement of topping a car up with fuel.
As a result, many of the service crew were able to abandon their stations and actually spectate on the rally - something they don’t normally get to do. - Slide of
From small acorns...
The eRally Team says that it has undertaken the project in order to enjoy the challenge of working with new technology and to begin the process of showing that motorsport can still exist in a zero emissions world.
“We’re not trying to kill the petrol engine - far from it,” says Dodd. “We just know people will look at motorsport and ask what role it is playing in a zero emissions world. By building this car we hope we’ll have an answer." - Slide of
Stars of (rally) stage and screen
The eRally Team Zoe has already featured on BBC television, and it is set to be put to more media work in the coming months as part of the team’s desire to educate people about the potential for electric cars to be fun.
“The interest shown in the project so far has been tremendous,” says Dodd. “Having a the UK and - we think - the world’s first electric rally car is a nice accolade to have.” - Slide of
Built to go fast, and educate competition officials
The eRally Team Zoe will also go on a tour of training events for marshals and scrutineers, so that more safety officials can be equipped with the required knowledge to deal with electric rally cars in future.
“If someone turned up today and said, ‘We’re going to pour some petrol in an engine and explode it’ we’d all think they were mad,” says Dodd. “There’s similar worries around electric - but if people deal with the potential hazards sensibly then the risks are tiny.” - Slide of
Gathering support in high places
Although the eRally Team is a private entity, Renault UK has already supported its efforts, in particular providing training opportunities to Hay.
“I’ve already done the same training course as technicians who work on the road cars, and I will be doing a more in-depth Renault course in the future,” she says. “Renault has been incredibly supportive and we hope we can play a role in raising the Zoe’s profile.” - Slide of
Looking ahead to the future
The eRally Team Zoe will next compete in 2018, with the team looking to tour more smaller single-venue events before branching out onto larger events.
“We are going very slowly, very deliberately,” says Dodd. “On single-stage rallies you are never more than a few miles from help, the marshals can all be together and told what to do at the start of the day and there are no spectators who might rush in to help but make mistakes.
“As awareness grows we can look to go further afield.” - Slide of
Proof that electric cars can be fast
All new cars in Britain will have to be electrified by 2040; the eRally Zoe points to an automotive future that still allows for car competitions, be it racing, rallycross or rallying.
The Zoe's first outing was on an all-asphalt event, although it could compete on forest stages in the future. - Slide of
Fighting for leading times on its debut
Despite a mishap on one stage when the crew took a wrong turn, they were able to show the Zoe's pace throughout the day.
As some rivals crews found to their cost, the eRally Zoe had the pace to silently catch up and overtake on some stages.
Close
