Venturi challenges

Shanghai to Paris in an electric car.

The 2nd of Venturi's challenges got under way last week. Setting off from Shanghai, Geraldine Gabin and Xavier Chevrin hope to reach Paris in an electric Citroen Berlingo, the same vehicle that's being used by the French Post Office [1].

The aim of the challenge is to demonstrate the reliability, robustness, and endurance of the electric car, which is equipped with extra batteries and needs to be recharged every 400 km of the 14,000 km trip (8,700 miles). It's the result of a partnership between Peugeot Citroen and Monaco company Venturi.

For the last 10 years Venturi has been working on innovations in electric vehicle technology, and has committed to a series of 3 challenges to demonstrate them. First, the Venturi Jamais Contente [2] achieved a speed of 487 kph, certified as the world speed record for fuel cell electric vehicles. The second challenge is the long distance endurance trip from China to France, traveling across 8 countries.

Another partner of the trip is the Fondation Prince Albert II, which organized a round table, EV20, in Shanghai to coincide with the event. The meeting brought together experts and international leaders involved in the development of electric vehicles.

The adventurous driving team is due to arrive in Paris in August, and you can follow their progress online at the Shanghai to Paris 100% electric [3] website.

Shanghai to Paris : a human and technological adventure covering 14,000 km with an electric vehicle [4]

Shanghai to Paris By EV Journey Launches [5]