Fifth Annual CT Electrathon Challenge to Be Held at Lime Rock Park

There will be three one-hour competitions in the CT Electrathon Challenge. (Photo: CT Electrathon)

It is an event that requires high school students to use a wide-array of skills and knowledge from science, math, physics, electronics, fabrication, graphic design and research and development.

And that’s all before the competition even begins.

Students from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut will compete in the Fifth Annual CT Electrathon Challenge at Lime Rock Park on Oct. 28. The Challenge is expected to attract more than 20 vehicles representing over 15 schools.

The competition is part of a national organization called Electrathon America. Electrathons are electric marathons where the winners are determined by how far a vehicle can go on a given amount of battery power within a certain time period.

Electrathon vehicles are single person, lightweight, electric vehicles with three or four wheels of 16-inch diameter or larger. They must meet specific design and safety rules and are powered by lead-acid battery packs that do not exceed 64 pounds.

The competition will be held on one of Lime Rock’s quarter-mile autocross courses. There will be three one-hour long “races” in the Electrathon Challenge.

Electrathon cars are completely constructed by the students and take an average of one year to build. Teams compete in three classes – Novice, Classic and Composite.

The Novice class is for teams that have just completed their first vehicle. Classic is for vehicles that are hand-built metal or kit cars. The composite class is for cars constructed entirely from composite material.