Globalization has its pros and cons, which could warrant their own separate automotive-related piece, however, one of the main advantages of the phenomenon is the fact that you can build anything, anywhere and have access to the same kind of technology that anybody else has. You merely Google it, order it or learn how to make it yourself.

Who would have thought that a minuscule Latvian car builder called Drive-eO, would take on the challenge of tackling the Pikes Peak hillclimb, with no real prior experience in building the kind of car they are attempting to make for this purpose.

Furthermore, they are making things even more difficult for themselves, because what they are building is a low and sticky supercar-type vehicle, with lots of electric power (400 kW or around 540 hp) sent to all four wheels without the use of any sort of transmission. Because of that, they call it “direct all-wheel drive.”

They actually have their sights set pretty high, as the firm’s chief engineer, Andris Dambis elaborates: “We know our technology is capable of breaking the current Pikes Peak record, but there is an incredibly tight field battling it out this year. We therefore acknowledge the unpredictable nature of the event but nevertheless aim to showcase previously unseen electric vehicle capabilities. That is the spirit at eO.”

However, don’t think that this is just a bunch of inexperienced hopefuls aiming to do the impossible without a solid basis. In fact, they do have experience in racing, having built custom Dakar-style off-roaders, the last of which was an electric vehicle that has racked up more than 18,000 km (+11,000 miles) of successful running. The new car, dubbed PP01 is set to enter its testing phase this month, and it should be ready by the time the Pikes Peak event starts, on June 8.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: Drive-eO via Technologicvehicles

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