By Colin Wood
May 21, 2020
The title for the first all-electric drag racing car to hit 200 mph looks to have been claimed. Is electric power the next big thing in drag racing? Ford seems to think so with their prototype electric Cobra Jet.
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5/21/20 11:42 a.m.
The lack of noise- just coil whine and tire squeal- makes this spectacle just so uncanny. An announcer... just talking instead of shouting over high-lift cams and whining turbochargers. Nobody's wearing ear protection, nobody in gas masks near nitro methane fumes.
The future's gonna be cool.
5/21/20 11:55 a.m.
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Agreed. You can run and not have to worry about noise restrictions.
5/21/20 12:21 p.m.
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Like watching a giant slot car.
5/21/20 12:43 p.m.
But I find watching things like Formula E racing lacks sufficient sonic drama - they are just a bunch of whiners (literally).
5/21/20 1:09 p.m.
I'm a big fan of electric vehicles, but if I'm honest I found the lack of all that made it much less exciting.
5/21/20 1:41 p.m.
I love how you can *hear* the tires pulling themselves up off the sticky asphalt.
5/21/20 2:27 p.m.
It's neat to see the tech, and frankly I'm kinda surprised it's taken this long. Electric motors seem like they'd be a natural for drag racing -- much higher power/weight than gas motors, and you don't need much energy for a single pass so you don't throw all of the weight savings away by adding lots of heavy batteries. Maybe it's transmissions? I know Tesla was trying to get a 2-speed transmission working on the first Roadsters they built (like 15 years ago), before giving up and going with the single reduction gear that is standard in EVs now. That's fine for road cars, but maybe not for 200 mph?
But yeah, I think it's going to be difficult to motivate people to buy tickets without the sound and fury.
5/21/20 2:40 p.m.
Want to make this progress fast? Add a subclass within Pro Mod, Turbo, Nitrous, Supercharger or EV. Leave the rules open for now other than the chassis and safety.
5/21/20 2:48 p.m.
I'm stoked for electric stuff, cars and bikes. But the few times I've been down to see the big boy top fuel cars run it wasn't just the speed, but the sonic experience, that made it memorable. Like getting hit in the chest by a sack of bricks. Unreal.
I think there is a place for fast electric cars (endurance racing would be awesome) but I don't think it's the drag strip. The competitive end of electric drag racing is going to be about as exciting as watching someone code. Cool to a few but not much for spectators.
5/21/20 2:55 p.m.
Impressive.
Pretty anti-climactic though. I am not much of a drag racing fan, but I do want to go see top fuel at some point.... for the sound. I would have little interest in this, drag racing is already super repetitive (and generally predictable) already.
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