All-electric race car to be unveiled at PRI

We were wondering when someone would consider taking advantage of the potential for massive torque and wicked acceleration that a modern electric drivetrain can offer and build some race cars that could also boast some environmental credentials. We wonder no more. West Race Cars and KleenSpeed Technologies Inc. have teamed up and will unveil the first all-electric production race car at the Performance Racing Industry trade show this week. Yeah, we've told you about some other folks with electric racer plans in New Zealand and the UK but this is happening here in America and it isn't just a "one-off." According to West CEO Eric Vassian, "We are planning on an initial production run of five West WX10-T electric race cars for 2009, and have already sold the first one."

The new racer should look similar to West's gas-powered WX-10 (above) and be capable of hitting 150 mph. With the help of regenerative braking, the battery is said to be capable of duking it out for 45 minutes, though it is designed to be quickly swapped out so the car can compete in endurance racing events. The International Motorsports Association (IMSA) is also involved with the development of the WX10-T, giving the project some heavy duty bona fides and a good shot at success. Now all they need are some environmentally-minded racecar drivers.