Last weekend (4-6 August 2017) Tesla Rentals and ecarTestDrives raced out of their comfort zone and on to the drag strip at Santa Pod Raceway’s Ultimate Street Car (USC) event, to show modified petrol car fans what modern electric vehicles can do.
The Tesla Model S P100DL, owned and driven by David Broadway was the fastest unmodified, road legal car at Santa Pod, winning the Class C Category.
As the USC is the largest and loudest modified car festival in Europe, ecarTestDrives – the online platform that connects electric car buyers with the best dealer in their area – were aware their silent ecars may not be met with affection by some “gas-guzzler” fans. However, they were not deterred, determined to bring zero emissions to a new audience and try to introduce as many people as possible to a cleaner – but certainly not slower – driving experience.
Tesla Rentals and ecarTestDrives crews were joined by e-CarsTrading and EO Charging to answer questions from the public. All the team were overwhelmed by the incredibly positive reaction of the show-goers, who stopped to admire the BMW i3, Tesla Model X, Model S and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The display of electric cars was packed full of people all weekend inspecting the vehicles and chatting to the experts.
Far from settling with a static display, Tesla Rentals and ecarTestDrives took to the famous drag strip in their star car, the Tesla Model S P100D, capable of 0-60mph in just 2.5 seconds. The first two runs of the day were against the Ferrari 458 Italia of James Cannon, founder of The Cannon Run. The ecar doubters fell as silent as the Tesla’s electric motor once it sped off the line, but the silence turned to excited cheering as the Tesla left the Ferrari for dead both times – completing the runs half a second faster than its petrol-powered competition.
For the third and final run of the day, the P100D was pitched against a highly modified Honda Civic in a head-to-head. Even despite all the mods, the Tesla cruised to victory once more.
Founder of ecarTestDrives, Afeez Damilola Alade-Kolawole, was delighted with the reaction from the visitors at Ultimate Street Car. He commented:
“I believe that if we are to make Electric Vehicles more mainstream, we need to focus on the fun aspect, especially the instantaneous power that allows the rapid acceleration that is only possible with an electric drivetrain. We need to connect and appeal to car lovers everywhere, not just the environmentally aware. And what better place to showcase the fun aspects of electric cars than at the world famous Santa Pod Raceway during the Ultimate Street Car event”
Source; ecarTestDrives & Tesla Rentals
