Electric hillclimb race car underway

An electric race car for motor club hillclimbs is being built by Seb Frances of Petone.

An “eco” mechanic at Thomsen Automotive, Frances has built the chassis and car front which resembles something between a Lotus 7 and a Mallock sports car.

Frances, 32, wants to see more EVs on the road and in motorsport, and hopes his project will encourage that.

He’s long had an interest in racing and previously ran a Nissan Pulsar, mainly in his home club the Hutt Valley Motorsport Club’s hillclimbs over about one or two kilometres.

Volkswagen’s record performance at the notorious Pikes Peak hillclimb in the US with its ID R electric race car helped inspire Frances.

He expects it will take about another year before his electric racer will be ready as he still has to source much of the electrics.

His goal is to have an electric motor powering each wheel, produce 200kW of power and for the car to weigh under 400kg, using 3D printing in the body to help lighten it.

The build is likely to cost Frances about $30,000.

He believes his race car will be the first electric used for hillclimbs in New Zealand. He knows of a couple of other electric cars planned or racing on tracks, but not for this level of motor sport.

Thomsen Automotive is very supportive of EVs, Frances saying the business is gearing up for them even though EVs don’t need as much servicing and maintenance as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

“EVs still have some parts which wear out and fail, so having a check-up between warrants of fitness is not a bad idea, especially if the car does high kilometres. Our EV service is only $98, which is cheap peace of mind. EV maintenance is comparatively cheap because they don’t need any of the servicing or have the common faults associated with combustion engines.”

Frances says he’s heard people in the auto industry suggest EVs need to have their air conditioning serviced annually or it could significantly decrease range – scare tactics he’s concerned about.

Meanwhile, he’s completing his mechanical apprenticeship, planning to do MITO’s Level 5 EV certificate course next.