The roar of gas-powered engines will be replaced by the quiet hum of electric motors Saturday at the fifth annual Emerald Coast Electrathon Classic 120 race at Five Flags Speedway off Pine Forest Road in Pensacola.

High school, college and open 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-minutes heats to see how many laps they can complete on a battery charge.

“The Electrathon race event is not about speed but endurance,” said Vaughn Nichols, a Gulf Power employee and the race director. “It’s designed to see how far teams can go in 60 minutes without running out of energy.”

The Gulf Power Engineering Society, Five Flags Speedway, Pensacola State College, SkillsUSA of Florida and ASHRAE–Northwest Florida Chapter and Electrathon of Tampa Bay, sponsor the event.

Electrathon America sanctions the event and 10 teams with 13 cars and 88 team members have registered to compete. That includes for the first time a team from Los Altos High School in Los Altos, Calif.

“Their teacher, Ed Richter, came last year to watch and said he would be back with a team,” Nichols said. “He’s bringing 11 team members. The team from San Antonio, Texas, is coming back for the second year in a row and bringing two cars and 15 team members.”

Schools in the Pensacola area include Pensacola High School, Milton High School, Pensacola State College and one Open class team. Other teams are Tampa Bay Tech High School and Hillsborough Community College, both from the Tampa Bay area. Two Open teams are coming from Miami.

The Electrathon Classic 120 is a Florida SkillsUSA certified event and is part of the Florida SkillsUSA State Competition being held in Pensacola next week at the Pensacola Bay Center.

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 track opens to the public at 10 a.m. and the infield will be open during the break between races for the public to view the vehicles. Go to emeraldcoastelectrathon.com for more information on the Electrathon race including videos, sponsors and the day’s schedule.

“The Electrathon Educational Program has spurred student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and has proven to increase academic progress in all STEM and all school-related subjects,” Nichols said. “This is only one of many events Gulf Power employees help organize and run across Northwest Florida to improve the level of learning experiences by getting students involved in STEM programs and increasing their educational advantages.”

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 430,000 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.”

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