| Drive eO | |
| Type: | Private limited company |
| Foundation: | 2011 |
| Location: | Ogresgala pagasts, Ogre Municipality, Latvia |
| Homepage: | www.driveeo.com |
Drive eO is an engineering company which operates from Latvia and specializes in development of electric and hybrid electric prototype vehicles for demanding applications. It was founded in 2011[1] to create the first ever hybrid electric rally car OSCar eO for the 2012 Dakar Rally.[2] Driven by and, it successfully completed the rally.[3]
The company went on to develop a number of electric racing cars for participation at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. In 2015, the one-megawatt eO PP03 race car driven by Rhys Millen set a new EV record[4] and became the first ever all-electric vehicle to win the event overall.[5]
The car is based on the platform of all wheel drive OSCar O3 rally raid car manufactured by OSC. It features a series hybrid drivetrain. Drive eO gives the following vehicle specification:[6]
| Drive motor | PMSM with 2 power inverters, torque 440 Nm nominal / 800 Nm peak, power 150 kW nominal / 335 kW peak | |
| Chassis controller | eO master controller | |
| Battery pack | Winston Battery Li-ion with battery management system, nominal voltage 512 Vdc, total energy 51.2 kWh | |
| PMSM 1 power inverter, nominal output 80 kW, driven by Nissan VQ35DE IC engine, 240 litre safety fuel tank | ||
| Charger | 10 kW off-board battery balancer / charger | |
| Range | Up to 1000 km (terrain dependent) | |
| Gearbox | 6-speed sequential dog-engagement gearbox | |
| Gross weight | 2800 kg |
OSCar eO has participated at three international rally raids:
| Year | Rally | Route | Crew | Category result | Overall finish position | Cars at finish | Cars at start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Māris Saukāns / Andris Dambis | Runner-up in NRJ Challenge | 77 | 78 | 161 | |||
| 2012 | Andris Dambis / Māris Saukāns | Winner of Green Challenge | 21 | 60 | 81 | |||
| 2013 | Māris Saukāns / Uldis Dzenis | Winner of Experimental Category | 8 | 33 | 39 |
The car features an all wheel drive electric drivetrain with one inboard mounted direct drive motor per wheel. It is based on a tubular spaceframe chassis with bodywork derived from Aquila CR1 racing car. Drive eO gives the following vehicle specification:[7]
| Drive motor | Four liquid cooled YASA-750 electric motors, total peak power 400 kW / peak torque 3000 Nm | |
| Motor controller | Four liquid cooled SEVCON electric motor controllers | |
| Chassis controller | eO master controller | |
| Battery pack | eO 50 kWh custom battery pack with integrated BMS | |
| Charger | eO 80 kW off-board DC charger | |
| Total mass | 1050 kg |
The car was driven at the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by Latvian and Baltic touring car champion Jānis Horeliks.[8] The adverse weather conditions had made the track surface slippery and he went off-road after losing grip in a left hand corner at the Halfway Picnic Grounds.[9] A documentary called "Uzvaras cena" has been produced about the project and was first aired in September 2013 on LTV7 during motoring programme "Tavs auto".[10]
Drive eO returned to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2014 with a race car based on a Tesla Roadster chassis. This was the first time that Tesla brand was represented at a major international motorsport event. The original chassis was retained but the entire drive train was replaced by Drive eO to validate the new components ahead of scaling them up for successive electric supercar projects.[11] The car was again piloted by Janis Horeliks and he completed the course in 12 minutes and 57.536 seconds to rank fifth in the Electric Modified division.[12]
Drive eO gives the following vehicle specification:[13]
| Drive motor | Liquid cooled YASA electric motor, total peak power 360 kW / peak torque 800 Nm | |
| Chassis controller | eO master controller | |
| Battery pack | eO 40 kWh custom battery pack with integrated BMS | |
| Total mass | 1060 kg |
As the next step, Drive eO developed an entirely new vehicle eO PP03 for the 93rd running of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 28, 2015. The vehicle featured a one-megawatt electric drive train and all-wheel drive transmission. The team signed Rhys Millen to drive the car and was aiming for overall victory.[14] [15] [16]
| Drive train | Six YASA electric motors with Drive eO controllers, total peak power 1020 kW / peak torque 2160 Nm |
| Battery pack | 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with BMS |
| Transmission | All-wheel drive, limited slip axle differentials, single reduction gear |
| Chassis | Steel tubular spaceframe with carbon fibre body |
| Steering | Electrically assisted power steering |
| Suspension | 4-way adjustable shock absorbers |
| Brakes | Ventilated brake discs Ø378 mm front, Ø330 mm rear |
| Tyres & wheels | 320/710 R18 slick tyres, 13inchesx18inchesin (xin) wheels |
| Total mass | 1150 kg |
| Top speed | 260 km/h |
On the race day Rhys Millen completed the course in 9 minutes and 7.222 seconds, setting a new EV record and becoming the overall winner.[17] [18]
In 2016, the car had Peak power 1190kW and peak torque 2520 Nm, with a weight of 1200 kg. Millen set a record of 8:57.118.