UK’s first sustainable rally car seeks to put Scotland on the map for sustainable motorsport
eRally Motorsport Ltd, a competitive junior rally motorsport team, is one mile closer to achieving their goal of future proofing the sport with the launch of the UK’s first zero-emission racing car.
The eRally Zoe, brainchild of former British Rally Championship and current Scottish Rally Championship driver Ellya Gold and Chairman of Formula 1000 Tristan Dodd, has been custom built from a Renault Zoe to be fully electric and competition ready.
The important milestone comes on the back of a number of initiatives undertaken by the Fife based team who have also taken the car to the classroom to educate future drivers that electric cars can be fun, perform better and, unlike other cars, don’t have negative effects on health or the environment.
Now the ambitious team are looking to build on their success as they aim to launch the world’s first electric rally championship – the eRally Championship – in Scotland within the next three years. They also have plans to introduce another four cars to the fleet, which will be available to lease or buy by 2018.
And it seems that their environmentally-friendly credentials are already being given the green light by businesses – Aberdeen’s EC-OG and Independent Software Vendor, Lightning Tools have both signed up to become sponsors. However more funding is required to achieve their vision in full.
Speaking about the project and educating young drivers, Jean Hay, co-driver and project coordinator at eRally Motorsport Ltd. said: “As we reach our vision for the future of rally motorsports the support from Scottish businesses is vital. We have been overwhelmed by the response so far from school visits and junior rally championships and are excited for the coming years and what they will bring for eRally and the sport.
“The much-needed support will go towards testing and further development of our fleet of eRally cars and will be an exciting journey for all our sponsors.”