e-miglia 2010: electric car rally
The Olympic thought is ancient: to take part is everything. But it keeps on getting a new meaning. The e-miglia – the street rally for electromobiles – makes new demands on technology and the participants, as well as on the organization. Rally expert Richard Schalber has just completed scouting the route: “Of course I drove the route with e-cars. I was lucky and able to try out three different models. And I was surprised. Even though there are some weak spots here and there, which need to be corrected, these quiet sportsters really can go and they’re fun.“ There are deviations from the originally planned route in some areas. First-off the most important insights won from the scouting: the daily stages won’t be more than 170 km instead of 200 km. Another change is that there’ll be a mobile charging station made available daily to the participants at the checkpoint after only 80 km into the respective stage.
Schalber doesn’t want to disclose all the details of the route: “Nobody does that, because it takes away from the suspense.“ The parameters are as follows: kick-off is in Munich on August 3rd in direction of Starnberg and Fuessen, the first stage destination. Here you don’t have to expect big inclines, but there will be a 4 km long special stage testing constancy. In total 120 km. The second day will also be a total of 120 km and lead over the Fern Pass to Innsbruck in Austria. It’ll become more mountainous and reach the 1300 meter mark. The real rollercoaster ride won’t start until after Innbruck on August 5th, when the rally throng moves towards Bolzano, Italy. The Jaufenpass with its 2094 m is the highest point of the e-miglia. It continues on to approx. 250 m above sea level to Bolzano into the Safety-Park, the venue of the daily test.
The final day demands everything from man and machine. The program for August 6th contains 170 km and plenty of differences in altitude. At least twice one has to go from 200 m up to 1300 m – one of which is the Mendel Pass. After a total of 560 km the finish in Rovereto awaits.
The e-miglia heads over the Alpine main ridge through the two autonomous provinces South Tyrol and Trent to Rovereto which is in the vicinity of Lake Garda. Both provinces have already assured the e-miglia of their fullest support and will take on the patronage for the rally’s last stages. In the most northern region of Italy environmental and climate protection, as well as renewable energy have been a central topic for a long time. It is imperative to conserve the sensitive Alpine region and, last but not least, the Dolomites as a world cultural heritage site at the Brenner axis, one of Europe’s most important and congested North-South connections. A sustainable, quiet and CO2 free mobility is of paramount importance here.
South Tyrol has already set an important milestone: in September 2009, the foundation for the first facility for the production of green hydrogen was laid in Bolzano South. In addition the complex, which will be part of the planned hydrogen mile Munich-Modena, also releases hydrogen. The project will be realized through the (Brenner Expressway Corporation) Brennerautobahn-Gesellschaft and the Institute for Innovative Technologies (IIT). Since the axles are powered by the electric motor, hydrogen operated vehicles in the form of fuel cell vehicle are compliant to the rules of the e-miglia.
The AvD, Germany’s Automobilclub, is not only a traditional motoring organization, but they were also the organizers of Germany’s first international car race in 1904. In the same year the AvD also organized the International Automobile Fair in Frankfurt, today’s IAA. The e-miglia is proud to have this strongly innovative and visionary partner at its side. In its 111 years, the AvD once again demonstrates a sight into the future.
The countdown for the quietest and cleanest rally in the world begins exactly two months ahead of the starting signal: the e-miglia will present itself at the World Fair for sustainable mobility, "the electric avenue", in Friedrichshafen from June 3rd through the 6th.