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The Projekt E series of the FIA World Rallycross Championship is based on electric cars, and Ken Block is one of the drivers moving away from internal combustion energy. In this video, Block puts his Ford Fiesta ERX electric rallycross car to the test at a circuit in Höljes, Sweden.
“It’s starting from scratch. It’s a whole new way to race a vehicle,” Block says in the video. He’s recently tested a couple of electric cars, including the Extreme E-series off-road racer and the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400, but the Fiesta is the first electric car that Block will compete competitively with.
Announced last year, Projekt E will act as a supporting series for the main World Rallycross Championship, which will continue to use gasoline cars for the time being. The FIA sanctioning body originally wanted to add an EV class to the main series, but that was vetoed by automakers. That means separate events for gas and electric cars will take place during a given race weekend.
Ken Block Projekt E Ford Fiesta Electric Rallycross Car
Block’s car uses the body of an eighth-generation Fiesta ST (not sold in the United States), but the road version of that car is not available with an electric powertrain. However, Ford doesn’t have a properly-sized electric vehicle in its lineup at the moment, and the Fiesta has been the automaker’s rally car of choice for several years.
Built by Austrian firm STARD, the car features three electric motors, producing approximately 600 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque combined. It can zero 60 mph in about 1.8 seconds, according to the racing team, with a top speed of 150 mph. Each axle has its own 2-speed transmission, although only one gear is used in racing.
Block says the car feels heavier, although its weight is less and its balance is better than a car with a combustion engine to give it a more solid and firm feel. He also says that it is actually better than a gasoline car for its characteristic “hooning” because one gear allows the wheels to turn faster.
Watch the full video to get more impressions from Block on his new all-electric vehicle and to learn about tire destruction.
