Photo: Cupra
Next year, a new racing competition will be born. It is called ETCR, it is built on the basis of the now-defunct TCR racing series and is dedicated to cars like the Cupra e-Racer or Hyundai Veloster N ETCR.
The first car to be unveiled for the series was the Cupra, which was first presented at the end of last year. Now, as the official start of the series approaches, the Spanish gave us an update on how things are progressing.
Over the past few days, the e-Racer has been on location at the Montmeló Circuit in Barcelona, where it has been put through its paces by its official driver, Mattias Ekström. According to Cupra, the car managed to complete several full speed laps around the track, which should mean it reached 167 mph (268 kph).
Despite enjoying the thrills of driving the high-powered electric car, Ekström says he still needs more time to get used to it, especially with the lack of the distinct racing car sound he is used to.
“It's much quieter than any other I've driven before, and I'm a very emotional driver,” he said in a statement.
“In addition, I have to pay close attention to energy management in each lap; that's essential with an electric race car, almost as important as its speed.”
The Cupra e-Racer is built using a Leon TCR Cup Racer as a base, but the combustion engine and transmission have been replaced by a huge 400 kg battery and powerful electric motors.
The power output of the car is rated at 680 horsepower, a stunning 330 hp more than the regular Leon TCR it is based on. With all this power on tap, the vehicle can reach 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
As per the ETCR regulations, each car that will enter the competition must have a maximum battery capacity of 65 kWh, be rear-wheel driven with a single gear, and have a maximum of 680 horsepower on tap.
Until now, only Cupra and Hyundai presented cars for this series.
Over the past few days, the e-Racer has been on location at the Montmeló Circuit in Barcelona, where it has been put through its paces by its official driver, Mattias Ekström. According to Cupra, the car managed to complete several full speed laps around the track, which should mean it reached 167 mph (268 kph).
Despite enjoying the thrills of driving the high-powered electric car, Ekström says he still needs more time to get used to it, especially with the lack of the distinct racing car sound he is used to.
“It's much quieter than any other I've driven before, and I'm a very emotional driver,” he said in a statement.
“In addition, I have to pay close attention to energy management in each lap; that's essential with an electric race car, almost as important as its speed.”
The Cupra e-Racer is built using a Leon TCR Cup Racer as a base, but the combustion engine and transmission have been replaced by a huge 400 kg battery and powerful electric motors.
The power output of the car is rated at 680 horsepower, a stunning 330 hp more than the regular Leon TCR it is based on. With all this power on tap, the vehicle can reach 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
As per the ETCR regulations, each car that will enter the competition must have a maximum battery capacity of 65 kWh, be rear-wheel driven with a single gear, and have a maximum of 680 horsepower on tap.
Until now, only Cupra and Hyundai presented cars for this series.
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