Motorsport charity drags 427 miles out of a Renault Zoe

14th June 2021, 2:54am
4 min read
Motorsport charity drags 427 miles out of a Renault Zoe
  • Mission Motorsport drive a Renault Zoe for over 25 hours at Thruxton
  • Team of drivers from the armed forces and a hypermiling expert reach 475 miles
  • Car with range extending tyres achieves 50 miles extra compared to standard tyres

The Mission Motorsport charity has managed to almost double the quoted range for an electric Renault Zoe on a single charge.

The manufacturer claims that the Zoe should be able to cover 245 miles on a single charge, but a team of drivers from the charity managed to achieve 475.4 miles with a combination of hypermiling and range extending tyres from ENSO, the equivalent of driving from London to Dundee.

The team drove around the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire for over 25 hours, achieving 9.14 miles per kilowatt hour. Thruxton is renowned as the UK’s fastest racing circuit, but the record was achieved at a more sedate 19 mph average.

A second Renault Zoe was also used during the attempt on 10 June, fitted with its original OEM tyres. Both cars were completely standard other than the range extending tyres, with the machine running on standard rubber going for almost 425 miles and over 22 hours of continuous driving.

The new mark of 475 miles is a new hypermiling record for the car, smashing the previous record set in France in 2018 by 124 miles.

The drivers of the Zoe included four former military servicemen and women, a spouse of a serving Royal Engineer and Kevin Booker, a hypermiling expert.

“The Zoe was a perfect choice for us – but to cover such an extraordinary distance frankly blew us away,” said Mission Motorsport CEO James Cameron.

“Driving through the night both in training and for the record itself with absolute precision was a challenge for the team but the Zoe proved more than up to the task. It was important to set a record with an absolutely standard car, and we’ve all been charmed and astonished by the little Renault’s character and tenacity.

“Thruxton was the obvious choice for this record attempt, but despite being the UK’s fastest track, the key to hitting 475.4 miles was finding the optimum speed and smooth consistent driving. Backed by ENSO’s unique EV tyre technology we were certain we could break the record, but what we couldn’t have foreseen was the incredible difference in efficiency, distance and feel with the ENSO tyres.”

ENSO is a relatively new supplier to the industry, founded in 2016. The company develops tyres specifically for electric vehicles with the aim of negating the increased tyre pollution attributable to EVs due to their increased weight and torque.

“ENSO’s mission is to deliver the most efficient, durable and sustainable tyres for EVs,” said Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, ENSO CEO.

“ENSO is driven by delivering innovation in the tyre industry and is already working with leading EV car makers and fleets. This new world record proves that our ultra-energy efficient EV tyres have a huge role to play in extending electric driving range and addressing range anxiety. By delivering ultra-low energy consumption per mile, our EV tyres not only save cost and electricity, but allow us to dramatically extend EV-range, moving the tyre industry truly into the electric age.”

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Written by Richard Randle

Richard Randle is a motorsport PR professional working with the UK’s top racing circuits and the UK’s premier single-seater category, the BRDC British F3 Championship.