Charlie Greenhaus has a bright idea – build electric race cars that can go wheel-to-wheel with gas powered competitors but at a fraction of the cost of current electric racers. In 2013, he founded Entropy Racing for everyday club racers who want to go racing but don’t have loads of money or advanced mechanical skills. His electric vehicle sports racer (EVSR) cars are 2,000 pound tube frame single seaters with low cost polycarbonate bodywork. Each has about 175 horsepower, 180 lb-ft of torque, and a top speed of 140 mph. Each is capable of running on track for up to 40 minutes.
The team is transporting three EVSRs to Colorado onboard a bright yellow American LaFrance fire engine that has been converted to a car carrier. There, they will compete in the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, popularly known as the “Race to the Clouds.” The 12.4 mile long course begins at the 9,390 foot elevation mark and climbs nearly a mile into the sky, with 156 turns along the way.
Greenhaus explains that electric race cars have an advantage over cars with internal combustion engines because their power is not affected by the change in elevation. Conventional engines lose about a third of their power on the way to the top.
“Aside from cage work and small [Pikes Peak] rule changes, the EVSRs have had no mechanical changes in the last year,” says Greenhaus. “They should only need minor suspension and tire pressure changes on the mountain – we hope it all goes smoothly, but we have a lot of data and experience to draw from in preparation.” The team also has experienced drivers. “While the EVSRs have never been to Pikes Peak, our drivers have been there 10 times between them, so the driver component is more than covered.”
Entropy Racing hopes racing at Pikes Peak will help raise its profile. After all, the Pikes Peak hill climb is the third oldest race in the western hemisphere, after the Indianapolis 500 and the Isle of Man TT. This year will mark the 99th running of the race. Greenhaus has plans to launch an all electric spec racing series using his EVSRs and is looking for sponsors.
Last year at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, two EVSRs spotted their gas powered competition a 30 second lead and still managed to finish a race in first and third position. There is no substitute for torque on track, especially torque that is unaffected by elevation change when the finish line is more than 2.5 miles high in the sky
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