Cupra, the performance arm of Spanish brand Seat, has tested its all-electric e-Racer for the first time on track.
Fitted with a 671bhp powertrain, the car is powered by a battery pack made up of 6,072 round cell batteries that equate to 9,000 mobile phone batteries.
After previous elements of the car had been tested previously – such as the electrical, battery, cooling and propulsion systems – this was the first time the car had been tested on track with the integrated battery pack.
The e-Racer was put through its paces in Zagreb, Croatia, and the high track temperatures meant the car and the developing systems could be pushed to the limit. Cupra said that all of the tests brought positive results.
The car is the first to have been built to comply with the regulations for the upcoming E Touring Car Racing series – the world’s first all-electric multi-brand touring car championship.
Matthias Rabe, Seat vice-president for research and development, said: “With the Cupra e-Racer we want to bring racing to the next level. We believe we can help reinvent motorsport and achieve success. Motorsport is one of the pillars of Cupra, and we are proud of the team that is making this electric touring race car possible.”
Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the e-Racer is capable of reaching 65mph from standstill in just 3.2 seconds and can go past 125mph in 8.2 seconds.
