The countdown for the 80edays has begun as Rafael de Mestre, the chief ambassador of the 2016 electric rally and the winner of the first electric around the world race 2012, announced the kickoff for the ultimate Electric Vehicle challenge to start this summer.
After the long-awaited meeting of 80edays ambassadors at Tesla Motors Factory in Tilburg, the Netherlands in November 2015 gave the go-ahead for the second edition of highly successful and coveted event, 80edays ELDURO was scheduled to start on June 16, 2016, from Barcelona in front of Arco de Triunfo.
This summer the most daring teams from all over the world will look to beat Rafael de Mestre’ s record, who in 2012 rallied alone around the globe in a standard all-electric Tesla Roadster in 127 days, becoming the first man in history to do so in less than 200 days. Looking to gain inspiration from de Mestre, the participants aim to reach the finish line in Barcelona in 80 days or less.
The registration for ELDURO 2016, the second edition of 80edays is over, and 12 multinational teams are ready to make history in the most challenging 100% Electric Vehicle endurance test yet attempted for electric cars and drivers, sending a strong message to the industry that sustainable technology is the way forward. The future of sustainable, clean, and renewable energy will depend on switching from fossil fuel to electricity. Rafael de Mestre, the initiator and organizer of the rally, believes that this year’s event will be a wake-up call for the automobile industry.
“The hype of the (80edays) rally is justified because a lot of people believe electric cars are and should be the future. The 2012 rally proved that people can drive electric cars anywhere in the world and reduce their carbon footprint. This year we hope the industry realizes that there are no wrongs with EVs, only rights!”
The challenge will cover a distance of over 25,000 kilometers across twenty countries and three continents. The anticipation is at an all-time high following the success of 80edays GENESIS 2012 that proved the electric car industry has the potential to become the powerhouse of automotive transportation.
While most teams will be driving sporty and fast Tesla EVs, the Hungarian team will show that sustainability has a place in public transportation as well. The Hungarian team will drive the innovative electric composite Modulo bus developed by evopro, the renowned Hungarian innovative engineering team.
Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first and only woman in history to win the Paris-Dakar Rally, will be honoring ELDURO as 80edays ambassador, officiating as a steward to monitor the course of the rally according to the rules.
In a bid to offset the greenhouse impact from the event, the 80edays ambassadors will plant trees, passing through preset presentation points. The teams will measure the temperature, radiation and other parameters on their routes. These values will be compared with those obtained in the 80edays 2020 -ZERO-challenge.
In a world of growing emissions, critical climate change and fossil energy dependence, the development of new technologies for vehicles gives us all chances to use more competitive and energy-efficient transport. But no change is possible with no action.
The 80edays challenge 2012-2016-2020 aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility with the world’s largest and most competitive 100% electric car rally around the globe. Get ready for 80 electrifying days that will show that electric cars have already become a drivers’ choice with silent, clean and sustainable power across any country and all types of terrain and climate. To learn more watch https://youtu.be/1mD6o8uLzNA or www.80edays.com.
