Isis Spin-out Powers “Formula 1 speed” Electric Car
13th January 2012
A demonstration all-electric car showcased at Thursday's MIA Low Carbon Racing Conference in Birmingham was powered by four YASA Motor engines. With over 850 horsepower, the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV is as fast as a Formula 1 racer.
Lola-Drayson B12/69EV © Jakob Ebrey Photography 2012
YASA Motors was spun out by Oxford University Innovation in 2009 to commercialise an electric motor developed by Dr Malcolm McCulloch, head of the University of Oxford’s Electrical Power Group and Dr Tim Woolmer, then a PhD student in the group. It is now based at Milton Park in Abingdon.
The Lola-Drayson B12/69EV was shown to Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Green by its co-developer Lord Paul Drayson, the former Minister of Science and Innovation, both of whom were speaking at the conference.
Lord Drayson hopes the car will enter the first FIA Formula E contest for EVs, which begins in 2013.
The Lola LMP is designed and engineered by a team from Lola, Drayson, BAE Systems, Halo IPT, A123, Mavizen, YASA Motors, Rhinehart, Cosworth and Multimatic.
The car contains four axial flux YASA motors. The motors generate over 850 peak horsepower and will power the rear wheels only, producing more power than the petrol equivalent.
The Lola-Drayson B12/69EV functions as a technology demonstration platform for the novel technologies being developed by the project consortium, and is designed to break the lap records for electric vehicles at street, circuit and hill climb tracks around the world and show the speed potential of an EV, lapping circuits faster than a current LMP1 diesel.
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