Competitions are also envisaged on asphalt

They had announced it a year ago. They have done. Frédéric Gervoson, Chairman of the agri-food group, Andros, and the former pilot Max Mamers, organizers of the Andros trophy for 20 years, created the first French racing in electric cars. "A first world technology and marketing", according to them. The Andros trophy, are 7 stages since Val-d'Isère, beginning of December, up to Superbesse January 30, from Andorra, the Alpe-d'Huez, Isola 2000, Lans-en-Vercors and Saint-Dié, hosting several disputed racing on ice.

The trophy had to present two categories Queens: "Silhouette", with 20 sports cars derived from vehicles (Skoda Fabia, Dacia Duster, Renault Clio III, BMW series 1, etc.) led by true champions such as Alain Prost or Olivier Panis and Franck Lagorce, old drivers of formula 1, and "Sprint Car", a kind of buggies for young drivers. Since the beginning of the Edition in progress, a third test, the "trophy electric Andros", see face 8 monotypic cars two-wheel drive, already tested last year.

"The model has evolved, but little.". It is a vehicle of 800 kg developing 120 horses, or 45 kW. Last year, he could do that 7 to 8 circuit tours. This time, it may make more than 30 with the lithium-Ion batteries from Saft, French manufacturer with which we had a partnership agreement. "The speed is up to 220 km/h, but it is 130-140 ice and 170 on asphalt, in race conditions", explains Max Mamers. The engines are manufactured by Siemens, electronics designed by Matra-Segula, and the spacecraft is assembled in Magny-Cours by Exagon Engineering. EDF also supports the competition.

Eight cars were built and 7 were leased for the season by sponsors: Andros, the teaching centres auto Norauto, pens Pilot, the specialist for frozen Picard, the city of Nice, the STEF-TFE, refrigerated transport giant originality, Laurent Wolf, a DJ which clips are among the most downloaded worldwide on the Internet.

Ideas box

Each car is made available by the organizers at a price of 100,000 euros per season, including maintenance. "For several partners, explains Max Mamers, it is to discover a new technology which may have strategic developments for their business." Thus, in Norauto, told that if, tomorrow, the electric car is adopted by the general public, need to imagine networks specific repairs and maintenance. ""For us, it is a tool box and a box for ideas,"says Luc Abraham, Director of communication of STEF-TFE. "Technology can allow us to reduce our footprint CO2 or limit the noise level, in the case of deliveries in the downtown in the morning." The combination of extreme conditions, we encounter in our warehouse of frozen foods in-24 C, and power, necessary to consider the tow heavy loads, is particularly interesting.

Power of Trophée Andros series is therefore interesting experiment in a rather hostile environment (elevation, cool). For example, problems of condensation occurring after the passage in the transportation of cars from one stage to another, high passes where the temperature is below - 20 C, have been resolved. SAFT also should develop a system of warming of batteries so they can function in cold weather. The fact that the vehicles are, finally, driven by real pilots of race, as Nicolas Prost or Stéphane Ortoli, former winner of the 24 hours of le Mans, attests to their recreational value.

The next season, four additional copies will be built by the organizers of the trophy, seeking as many partners to run. Competitions are also envisaged on asphalt. The city of Nice, Christian Estrosi, Mayor is also Minister of industry, is already a candidate. The electric car of Max Mamers can iterate through the equivalent of 18 rounds of the formula 1 of Magny-Cours circuit. Autonomy which begins to be sufficient for most "classical" tests