'New speed record' for electric car (From Times Series)

'New speed record' for electric car

10:49am Thursday 27th September 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

The team behind a supercar powered by energy from wind turbines believe they have smashed the UK land-speed record for an electric car.

The Nemesis, driven by Nick Ponting, 21, hit 148.7mph during a run at Elvington airfield, near York.

This breaks the record of 137mph set by Don Wales, the grandson of speed ace Sir Malcolm Campbell, 10 years ago but the achievement still needs to be ratified by the Motor Sports Association before the record can be officially declared.

The makers of the Nemesis say it is the first electric supercar to be built in the UK and they hope it will "smash the stereotype" of electric-powered cars as boring and slow.

It is the brainchild of Dale Vince, founder of green electricity company Ecotricity, of Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Mr Vince has said: "We built the Nemesis to smash the stereotype of electric cars as something Noddy would drive - slow, boring, not cool."

Mr Vince said the Nemesis is powered entirely by electricity generated by Ecotricity's network of 53 wind turbines around the UK and is capable of 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds and, on paper, is capable of topping 200mph.

It was designed and built in less than two years by a team of leading British motorsport engineers in Norfolk, having begun life as a second-hand Lotus Exige bought on eBay and rebuilt from the ground up.

The Nemesis can travel from 100-150 miles between charges, depending on driving style, and can be charged from empty in less than 30 minutes.

Mr Ponting, who lives in Gloucester and works for an estate agency in Stroud, has had many years of experience racing a range of cars since his early teens.