The roar — make that quiet whir — of 20 electric race cars will put their batteries to the test at the sixth annual Emerald Coast Electrathon Classic 120 race this Saturday, April 26 at Five Flags Speedway off Pine Forest Road in Pensacola.

High school and college teams will be competing in the race with electric vehicles they have built from a kit. The vehicles have to pass a pre-race inspection that includes safety features before they race in two different 60-minute heats to see how many laps they can complete on a battery charge.



The Gulf Power Engineering Society, Five Flags Speedway, Pensacola State College, SkillsUSA of Florida, ASHRAE–Northwest Florida Chapter and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers sponsor the event, which is also supported by the Florida Emerald Coast Clean Cities Coalition, an organization that promotes alternative fuel initiatives in Northwest Florida. 



“We’re thrilled that this event has seen such growth and interest this year,” said Vaughn Nichols, a Gulf Power employee and the race promoter. “As of now, this is turning into the largest electrathon race event held on a speedway east of the Mississippi River.”


Electrathon America sanctions the event and 15 teams with 20 cars and more than 140 team members have registered to compete. That includes teams returning from California and Texas, as well as five new teams from Alabama and two new teams from Georgia.

The Electrathon Classic 120 also is part of the SkillsUSA State Competition being held in Pensacola next week at the Pensacola Bay Center.

“This event is so important for students,” Nichols said. “They get to learn mechanical skills as well as learn about energy efficiency and teamwork.”

Schools in the Pensacola area include Pensacola High School, Milton High School and Pensacola State College. Other teams include Tampa Bay Technical High School and Tiger Electrathon from the Miami area.

The first race starts at 10:30 a.m. and the second race starts at 1:30 p.m. Trophies for completing the most laps in the two races will be awarded to the top three teams in each division, as well as an overall winner.

The event is free for the public to attend and the track will open at 10 a.m. The infield will be open at 1 p.m. during the break between races for the public to view the vehicles. Wind and solar electric vehicle charging stations that are being used by the teams to charge up their batteries during the race also will be on display.

Go to emeraldcoastelectrathon.com for more information including videos, sponsors and the day’s schedule.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”

###