October 2005

By Spencer Deery

The Discovery Channel Canada recently featured BYU's electric racing team in a story about advancements in the sport of electric drag racing.

Producers from the show “Daily Planet,” conducted interviews last June at the Mason Dixon Dragway in Hagerstown , Md. , where the team set a new record with its modified General Motors EV1.

The segment features clips and interviews from multiple racing teams, but also dedicates a large portion of the story to an interview with Tom Erekson, the director of the School of Technology . The segment shows clips of the EV1 racing while Erekson describes the vehicle's unique dependence on capacitors for power, and the tendency of such high-powered electric vehicles to torque and break shafts.

The show aired in Canada Sept. 19 and may still air in the United States in coming weeks, according to “Daily Planet's” associate producer, Ian Connacher.

To view the segment, visit http://www.exn.ca/video/?video=exn20050920-drag.asx .