Bluebird electric - engineered for success…
On the 13th and 14th August, Bluebird will fly again as Don Wales – grandson of Malcolm Campbell – attempts to beat the UK Land Speed Record for an electric car at Pendine Sands. But Bluebird wouldn’t have even got her wings without the tireless work of the engineers. Bluebird Electric ran originally in 2000, where the current UK Electric Land Speed Record was set at 137mph. In 2010, the Bluebird team decided they wanted to up the stakes – the ultimate ambition being the World Land Speed Record for a wheel-driven vehicle.The build project for the 2011 Bluebird Electric only got underway in the Spring of 2011. In those short months, Technical Director Dr Tim Allen, with assistance from Professor Phil Mellor and a handful of post-grad PhD Industrial Electronics students from the University of Bristol, have built a vehicle with the potential to smash the UK record.Dr Allen, Director of Tirius Ltd - a UK-based electrical and electronic vehicle engineering design consultancy – has not only provided sponsorship for the Pendine speed trials but supplied his engineering expertise to develop Bluebird’s new drivetrain. The engineering students of Bristol University have volunteered invaluable assistance in the creation of Bluebird’s electrical systems. These skills first culminated at a ‘shakedown’ test at Filton airport this week where Bluebird did not disappoint. Even despite the confines of the test area, Bluebird comfortably topped speeds of 100mph with plenty more to give. Dr Allen, test driving for the Filton tests said: “Bluebird performed faultlessly and the drivetrain worked very well. These tests weren’t to establish outright speed but the acceleration was very good. Conditions at Pendine are very different to a tarmac airfield but we’re confident in her capabilities.”Don Wales and Bluebird Electric would also like to extend their thanks to the MSA and RAC, plus their sponsors Castrol, Aggreko, Ford, Goodyear, Dura, Phase Vision, Bluestone, Southern Springs, Dickies, and Honour Motorsport whose support and services have been invaluable throughout
