Electric Car Challenge visits Center for Automotive Research

Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research was a pit stop on a cross-country road trip that aims to establish a record for the fastest coast-to-coast drive in an electric car.

Men’s Health magazine is taking the 2012 Electric Car Challenge, an adventure designed to help maximize the potential of electric vehicles; create a healthier, more satisfying and more exciting road trip experience; and raise money for Carry the Load, an organization that steers resources toward organizations that support veteran families and organizations. The cross-country team left the New York International Auto Show April 11 and expects to finish in Los Angeles on or around Earth Day, April 22.

Driving a 2012 Ford Focus Electric, the team stopped at the Center for Automotive Research to refuel and get an in-depth tour of CAR and its motorsports building. The crew took two vehicles for a spin through a series of orange cone challenges. They drove and compared the Ohio State student-built Buckeye Electric Motorcycle as well as the Electric Midget USAC racer, built by engineers at CAR Technologies (a company incubated at Ohio State’s CAR), the first all-electric midget racer to premier in the United States Auto Club.

Reposted with permission from Ohio State's College of Engineering (link).