Racing Green Endurance Team Brings Their Electric Sports Car to NIWeek 2010

[LJames]

The Racing Green Endurance (RGE) team has traveled more than 5,000 miles to bring their electric sports car, the SRZero, to NIWeek 2010. They still have more than 11,000 to go as they travel from Alaska to Argentina in an attempt to become the first electric car to travel the entire Pan-American Highway.

RGE is a student-led project at Imperial College London that aims to demonstrate the potential of zero-emission cars. The team partnered with Radical Sportscars to produce the SRZero, which is based on the chassis of the Radical SR8 British supercar. The SRZero uses a fully electric powertrain that can achieve a top speed of 120 mph and has a unique twin-motor electric drive system that makes it possible for the car to travel further than any other electric car before needing to be recharged.

LabVIEW and CompactRIO power the car’s control systems, making it possible for RGE to integrate all the components in the powertrain. CompactRIO controls the battery management system to monitor and protect the health of the Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. CompactRIO also manages motor controllers, driver interfaces and the car’s safety systems.

Watch the video below to hear RGE team members Andy Hadland and Alec de Zegher talk about why they pursued this project and why they chose CompactRIO.

Visit the LabVIEW Zone in the exhibition hall to see the SRZero and talk to the RGE team members. Also, see RGE on the NIWeek keynote stage on Thursday.