EVs shatter records at Pike’s Peak: Ioniq 5N, Rivian and Ford SuperTruck impress
The Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb is in progress, and several EVs which set out to post new records have done so today, with the Rivian R1T and Ioniq 5N both claiming records, and the Ford SuperTruck being the fastest vehicle up the hill on the day.
The Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb is one of the longest-running races in the world, being held 102 times since 1916.
It’s a famously difficult race, starting at an already-high 9,390ft (2,862m) in elevation and finishing at 14,110ft (4,300m), with an average 7.2% vertical grade. Until 2011, the track was largely unpaved on dirt or gravel roads, and it is not uncommon for cars to leave the track and crash into the woods or, worse, end up tumbling down the mountain. The race is also commonly stopped by rain, snow, fog, or other inclement weather of the type you commonly get at the top of mountains.
In particular, the high altitude nature of the race (which earned it the nickname “Race to the Clouds”) has always been difficult, because at high altitudes there is less oxygen, which means less complete combustion of fuel. This means that gas-powered race vehicles need to have incredibly oversized engines to do well.
That difficulty does not apply to electric vehicles since EVs don’t need oxygen for combustion, so for years EVs have overperformed in the race. Currently the all-time record for the 12.42-mile (20km) hillclimb is 7:57.148, set by the Volkswagen ID.R in 2018. And this year, an EV (Acura ZDX) served as the pace car for the first time.
There were 3 notable electric entries this year: the new higher-powered Rivian R1T Ascend Quad Max in unmodified form, the Hyundai Ioniq 5N in both stock and modified specs, and the bonkers heavily-modified Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck. (All vehicles do have seats stripped from the interior and roll cages/fire extinguishers added for safety purposes, but this doesn’t change total vehicle performance much due to the weight of the roll cage).
Last year, Rivian set the record for production trucks, gas or electric, with a 11:23.983, also putting it ahead of past runs by the likes of Faraday Future and a Tesla P90D. But it wasn’t an electric production record, as that was held by a Model 3 Performance with an 11:02.802.
However, with the R1T’s 190hp power boost over last year’s model, Rivian was hoping to gain some time – and boy, did it.
Driver Gardner Nichols managed to set a time of 10:53.883, shattering last year’s time by half a minute, setting a new record for any production truck, gas or electric, and even beating the 2018 Model 3 Performance by about ten seconds (though the new Model 3 Performance hasn’t run up the hill yet).
In fact, the R1T’s time would have been an overall record for unmodified electric vehicles – and even was that record, for a few minutes – until the next car up the mountain, the Ioniq 5N, came in 4 seconds faster.
Hyundai ran the 5N in two classes, aiming for both modified and unmodified records (one of its four vehicles had a crash in practice). Immediately after the R1T finished, Ron Zaras set a 10:49.267 in an unmodified Ioniq 5N, setting the record for electric production vehicles.
Unfortunately the 5N just barely missed the record for production SUV – currently held by the 2018 Bentley Bentayga at 10:48.902, only 3 tenths ahead over the course of this 12.42-mile track. If only Zaras hadn’t had that second donut this morning…
And in the modified category, the Ioniq 5N TA (“Time Attack”) spec, which carries over the stock powertrain but has some software tweaks for more power and big wings on the front and back, was piloted by Dani Sordo to set a 9:30.852, which is now the fastest electric modified SUV up the mountain.
While the R1T was the fastest unmodified truck up the hill today, it wasn’t the fastest truck overall. That honor goes to the 1,400hp Ford F-150 Lightning “SuperTruck,” continuing the long tradition of silly Pike’s Peak vehicles with gigantic wings.
The SuperTruck set the fastest time of the day, with an 8:53.553, the only vehicle to go sub-9 and more than ten seconds faster than the next-best finisher. And that was after the vehicle had an unexpected shutdown in the first sector, coming to a complete stop and needing to be repowered, losing almost half a minute in the process.
As a result, it didn’t set a record, as last year’s Ford SuperVan, a similarly-modified Ford Transit Electric, set a time of 8:47.682. That vehicle still holds the “Pike’s Peak Open” class record, and both were piloted by Romain Dumas (who also holds the overall record in the VW I.D. R).
While we’re somewhat jumping the gun on this article since the race is still in progress (you can watch here), it’s unlikely that any other cars will beat any of these times set. The SuperTruck had the fastest qualifying time by a longshot, and there are no remaining electric or production truck-class vehicles still yet to run which have a chance of beating the 5N and R1T’s times.
So, another successful year for EVs at the mountain.
Electrek’s Take
Both of these records set this year are extremely impressive. I asked Rivian if they thought they could get sub-11 minutes, but all they committed to was trying to beat their record from last year.
But the fact that a 7,000+ pound truck managed to beat even the 2018 Model 3 Performance is quite exceptional. That’s a lot of weight to push up a mountain and around all those curves. I’m sure that the new Model 3 would be quicker, and there have been faster Teslas up the hill in modified form, but these vehicles aren’t even close to being in the same class – so the R1T has achieved a pretty incredible feat here.
It’s a shame that the Ioniq 5N couldn’t have been just a tiny bit quicker to beat the Bentayga – but it also costs less than 1/3 as much as the Bentayga. The fact that you can go right out and buy an Ioniq 5N, for a pretty reasonable price, and have an SUV that beats every other electric vehicle ever to go up the mountain and almost every other SUV/crossover, with a sub-11 minute time on this famously difficult race, is extremely impressive.
Hyundai has only just started pushing the electric performance envelope, but we’re pretty excited to see where this goes.
(And speaking of Rivian, and of electric crossovers in a rally competition, can you just imagine what the Rivian R3X is going to look like up this hill in a few years?! Stay tuned!)
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As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.
Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.
That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.
“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”
The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.
Electrek’s Take
As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.
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In a bold bid to combat the crippling air pollution crisis in its capital, Delhi, Indian lawmakers have begun high-level discussions about a plan to phase out gas and diesel combustion vehicles by 2035 – a move that could cause a seismic shift in the global EV space and provide a cleaner, greener future for India’s capital.
Long considered one of the world’s most polluted capital cities, Indian capital Delhi is taking drastic steps to cut back pollution with a gas and diesel engine ban coming soon – but they want results faster than that. As such, Delhi is starting with a city-wide ban on refueling vehicles more than 15 years old, and it went into effect earlier this week. (!)
“We are installing gadgets at petrol pumps which will identify vehicles older than 15 years, and no fuel will be provided to them,” said Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa … but they’re not stopping there. “Additionally, we will intensify scrutiny of heavy vehicles entering Delhi to ensure they meet prescribed environmental standards before being allowed entry.”
Making it prohibitively difficult for Dehli’s residents to own and operate older, presumably more polluting vehicles is one way to reduce harmful emissions and air pollution, but Sirsa’s team isn’t just targeting newer vehicles. They’re also planning to deploy more than 900 electric transit buses, part of a larger plan to replace 5,000 of the city’s 7,500 total bus with lower- or zero-emission options this year alone.
The Economic Times is reporting that discussions are underway to pass laws requiring that all future bus purchases will be required to be electric or “clean fuel” (read: CNG or hydrogen) by the end of this year, with a gas/diesel ban on “three-wheelers and light goods vehicles,” (commercial tuk-tuks and delivery mopeds) potentially coming 2026 to 2027 and a similar ban privately owned and operated cars and bikes coming “between 2030 and 2035.”
Electrek’s Take
After a Chinese government study linked air pollution caused by automotive exhausts and coal-fired power plants to more than 1.1 million deaths per year in 2013, the nation’s government took serious action, shuttering older coal plants and imposing strict emissions standards. The country also incentivized EV adoption through license-plate lotteries favoring electric cars and a nationwide EV mandate set to kick in by 2030.
The results were astounding, and the technological innovations that have come from an entire nation of talented engineers all “pulling in the same direction” have put the West to shame, with Western auto executives repeatedly sounding the alarm and lobbying for tariffs and other protectionist policies on both sides of the Atlantic.
To see India make move towards a gas and diesel ban like this, and on such an aggressive timeline, can only mean that they’ve been paying attention … and America is about to fall even further behind.
SOURCE: India Times; featured image by Sumita Roy Dutta.
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Last week, Parker Hannifin launched what they’re calling the industry’s first certified Mobile Electrification Technology Center to train mobile equipment technicians make the transition from conventional diesel engines to modern electric motors.
The electrification of mobile equipment is opening new doors for construction and engineering companies working in indoor, environmentally sensitive, or noise-regulated urban environments – but it also poses a new set of challenges that, while they mirror some of the challenges internal combustion faced a century ago, aren’t yet fully solved. These go beyond just getting energy to the equipment assets’ batteries, and include the integration of hydraulic implements, electronic controls, and the myriad of upfit accessories that have been developed over the last five decades to operate on 12V power.
At the same time, manufacturers and dealers have to ensure the safety of their technicians, which includes providing comprehensive training on the intricacies of high-voltage electric vehicle repair and maintenance – and that’s where Parker’s new mobile equipment training program comes in, helping to accelerate the shift to EVs.
“We are excited to partner with these outstanding distributors at a higher level. Their commitment to designing innovative mobile electrification systems aligns perfectly with our vision to empower machine manufacturers in reducing their environmental footprint while enhancing operational efficiency,” explains Mark Schoessler, VP of sales for Parker’s Motion Systems Group. “Their expertise in designing mobile electrification systems and their capability to deliver integrated solutions will help to maximize the impact of Parker’s expanding METC network.”
The manufacturing equipment experts at Nott Company were among the first to go through the Parker Hannifin training program, certifying their technicians on Parker’s electric motors, drives, coolers, controllers and control systems.
“We are proud to be recognized for our unwavering dedication to advancing mobile electrification technologies and delivering cutting-edge solutions,” says Nott CEO, Markus Rauchhaus. “This milestone would not have been possible without our incredible partners, customers and the team at Nott Company.”
In addition to Nott, two other North American distributors (Depatie Fluid Power in Portage, Michigan, and Hydradyne in Fort Worth, Texas) have completed the Parker certification.
Electrek’s Take
With the rise of electric equipment assets like Bobcat’s T7X compact track loader and E10e electric excavator that eliminate traditional hydraulics and rely on high-voltage battery systems, specialized electrical systems training is becoming increasingly important. Seasoned, steady hands with decades of diesel and hydraulic systems experience are obsolete, and they’ll need to learn new skills to stay relevant.
Certification programs like Parker’s are working to bridge that skills gap, equipping technicians with the skills to maximize performance while mitigating risks associated with high-voltage systems. Here’s hoping more of these start popping up sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Parker Hannifin.
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