Electric Bluebird car aims for speed record this weekend

ERJ staff report (DS)

Pendine Sands, Wales -- This weekend (13th and 14th August), Bluebird will fly again as Don Wales - grandson of Malcolm Campbell - attempts to reach speeds over 150 mph (240 kph) to beat the UK Land Speed Record for an electric car at Pendine Sands in Wales (UK).

Bluebird Electric ran originally in 2000, where the current UK Electric Land Speed Record was set at 137mph. In 2010, the Bluebird team decided they wanted to up the stakes - the ultimate ambition being the World Land Speed Record for a wheel-driven vehicle.

A trial run at Filton (Aerodrome near Bristol) on Tuesday night went well, with Bluebird surpassing speeds of 100mph.

The Bluebird team is using this weekend's trials to not only break the UK record, but also to test the technology behind the car. The longer term aim is to build a completely new electric vehicle capable of beating the World Land Speed Record for a wheel-driven vehicle fitted with compact, advanced electric power train technologies.

The record currently stands at 307mph, which was set by the Buckeye Bullet 2.5 team last year.

The carefully engineered vehicle is shod with Goodyear Land Speed Tyres, designed and produced at Goodyear Headquarters in the United States. The tyres offer a lightweight design for low rolling resistance as well as a tubeless construction which assists with the lightweight performance.

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Press release from team Bluebird

Press release from Bristol University