Video – EV race, car v plane

Reviving a famous format from their days presenting a popular motoring TV show, Richard Hammond and James May raced across the south of England, pitting the Taycan Turbo GT against the Pipistrel Velis Electro.

Almost 20 years after the pair first staged a race between a car and an aeroplane, British TV presenters Hammond and May brought the format into the electric age, in a new film for the DriveTribe YouTube channel.

For the original race, the two were teammates, sharing the cockpit of a Cessna 182 as they raced from the Italian town of Alba to London against their co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson in a Bugatti Veyron.

This time they were competing against one another, with May taking to the skies in an electric aeroplane and Hammond behind the wheel of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.

The race began at Henstridge Airfield on the Somerset/Dorset border and finished at Dunsfold Aerodrome, the former workplace of the two presenters and home of the famous TV test track.

The 174km route wouldn’t be long enough to challenge the Taycan’s up-to-555km range although the car would have to contend with traffic, roadworks and speed limits while the plane would be able to make unimpeded progress.

What would level the playing field, however, was the aircraft’s maximum flight time of about 50 minutes.

To complete the journey it needed a charging stop at Thruxton Aerodrome, about halfway.

May was surprised by the rather uncomplicated pre-flight checks required for the electric aircraft.

The Taycan took an early lead and the race was so close Hammond used the EV’s panoramic roof to search the skies for the “small electric plane with a spaniel in it”.

Once off the motorway and onto sinuous back roads, Hammond was able to reflect on the sports car’s ride and handling.

The plane benefitted from a strong 20 to 30 knot tail wind, giving May confidence in his chances of victory – and prompting him to enjoy perhaps one cup of tea too many during his charging stop at Thruxton.