For the first time in its 37 editions the Dakar Rally has registered a zero-emissions car.
The ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered is the first electric car up for the challenge of the toughest motor competition in the world.
This vehicle is proof of ACCIONA's commitment to the development of renewable energies and its reliability in the most extreme conditions.
With this electric car, ACCIONA closes its 100% EcoPowered vehicle trilogy that began in 2011 with its sleigh that reached the South Pole propelled only by a system of kites. It continued its march forward in 2012 by participating in the Vendee Globe, on board a sailboat that completed a solo, non-stop, round the world trip, without using a drop of fossil fuel.
After more than two years of R+D, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered is ready to compete in the toughest test in the world. This Sunday, January 4th, it will measure itself against the other Dakar Rally competitors on the start line, bound for the first stage: Villa Carlos Paz, being the only motor vehicle without a drop of fossil fuel.
The first challenge to ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered is the more than 700 km of this first stage in the competition and will mark a milestone in the Dakar Rally.
Its drivers, Albert Bosch and Agustin Payá are prepared to face this eco-efficient challenge that culminates on January 17th in Buenos Aires after covering over 9,000 km in some of the most inhospitable and extreme landscapes on the planet.
The Dakar Rally is undoubtedly the most demanding way to test the fact that the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered vehicle is not just a racing car but a commitment to the future of a clean Dakar Rally, and to the feasibility of using non-pollutant energy sources in the most extreme situations.
ACCIONA's objective with this initiative is to further the consolidation and reliability of renewable energy as a real alternative to fossil fuels, and to demonstrate that innovation is the only way to find sustainable solutions to the problems and needs of today's society.
100% clean energy systems
- A highly efficient synchronous electric engine, equivalent to 300 BHP and which weighs only 80 Kg compared to its internal combustion counterparts which weigh 280 Kg.
- 4 removable Lithium Ion battery packs, capable of storing a total of 140kWH (similar to the contracted capacity of 32 homes) to adequately power the electric motor.
- A system of high-efficiency solar panels, to power the telemetry and security systems of the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered vehicle with 100% renewable energy.
- ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered is the electric car that has the most energy in the world (140kwh).
Dakar in figures
- 37 editions.
- 7 editions in South America.
- 431 vehicles participated in the 2014 edition, 50% abandoned.
- Extreme temperatures of up to 50ºC.
- 13 stages of up to 800 km each.
- More than 9,000 km in total.
- Dakar 2015 will travel across three countries: Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.
- 2-day marathon stage for all participants where they will not have access to their service vehicles.