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" Ed Pearlman founded the National Off-Road Racing Association&amp;#039;s Mexican 1000 in 1967, and you&amp;#039;d think the pioneering ex-Marine would approve of this particular entry. A collaborative effort between fabrication outfit Strategic Racing Designs (SRD) and engine-supplier EV West \u2013 who campaigned an all-electric M3 at Pikes Peak last year \u2013 the SRI EV1 is an answer to a retired General&amp;#039;s challenge to produce a sustainable off-road military vehicle. It will also serve as a halo project for an environmentally-minded non-profit dedicated to helping veterans and those in need.  That&amp;#039;d be ex-Marine aviator Jeff Smith&amp;#039;s Strategic Recovery Institute (SRI), owner of this 450 hp, 700 ft-lb desert stormer. By the way, that&amp;#039;s enough juice to pop the front wheels in the air under roll-on acceleration despite the heft of a 4900 lb modified Brenthel chassis.  Aside from the balloon tires, Bilstein-sourced off-road suspension and harnessed-lightning drivetrain, the SRI EV1 has a clever design feature to make it truly competitive with conventionally powered rivals: removable batteries. Trained mechanics can swap out a depleted power pack in less than ten minutes \u2013 think life-size Tyco RC.  With hot-swapping batteries providing the ability to leapfrog down the Baja peninsula from Mexicali to San Jose del Cabo, SRD (co-owned by Smith&amp;#039;s daughter, Heather Herrmann) has realistic expectations for their initial run. They&amp;#039;ll be doing special stages as opposed to the longer transit sections and according to updates posted through their twitter feed (@TeamSRD), the EV1 had a successful first day, averaging around 40 mph over dunes and through deep sand washes with an easy foot on the pedal to conserve charge. With just a pair of packs on hand \u2013 quick-charged by portable diesel generators \u2013 the 80-100 mile range per battery is still a factor.  It&amp;#039;s a whole new way to experience desert-crossing, as the EV1 is nearly-silent apart from gear noise: a dune-jumping sailplane as compared to the bellowing F-14s of the Class 1. Mind you, sneaking up on wildlife at 100 mph can&amp;#039;t be all that environmentally sensitive.      via EV West/YouTube "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a4375/this-all-electric-baja-racer-is-running-the-norra-mexican-1000/>