2022-07-15
A new record for electric cars to be set on the eve of the “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” race
As the “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” race weekend approaches, the intrigue is not only about who will be this year's winner. This year, Vitoldas Milius plans to complete 106 laps of the track on a single charge in a “Kia EV6” on the last night before the race starts. The planned 286 kilometres could be officially recorded as the longest distance covered by an electric vehicle on a Lithuanian racetrack.
Technological advances
The record-breaking drive will start on Friday, 15 July, just after the end of training and the sports car demonstrations on the racetrack. On the eve of the “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” race, he will be driving the “EV6” electric car. He should have completed 106 laps of the track by the morning of Saturday 16 July. “Looking at the technical characteristics of the electric car alone, there is no doubt that I will be able to cover this distance. However, it is very difficult to say what the average speed will be, as the track is not the most economical one to drive on. You will have to keep accelerating and braking, so it is not realistic to expect low energy consumption,” says V. Milius.
He will use brakes only when necessary
According to him, the impact on energy consumption would be more pronounced when driving a car with an internal combustion engine. At the same time, the “Kia EV6's” highly efficient regeneration equipment will allow it to recover a significant part of the energy normally lost during braking. He stresses that this will certainly not be an attempt to cover the entire distance using as little energy as possible. Instead, he will try to maintain as high a speed as possible but will adjust his pace so that he can complete all 106 laps of the racetrack. The indicative average speed will only be known after the first kilometres.
He shares his experience with everyone
On the eve of the “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” race in Palanga in 2022, he drove around Lithuania in a “Kia e-Niro” electric car for 22 hours. “Every time I drive an electric car like this, it gives me a new experience that I can share with others. A lot of things must be tried and tested first - some aspects are not yet fully known even by the manufacturers themselves. As electric cars come into our lives, such experiments provide invaluable experience,” he concluded.