Team YOKOHAMA EV Challenge, with driver Ikuo Hanawa, took on the 2011 Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, a world-renowned event held June 26 in Colorado, U.S.A. The year 2011 marks the team’s third entry and in a repeat of last year’s results, the team re-wrote the speed record for the climb in the EV Class with the prototype tyre BluEarth. This year the team climbed Pike’s Peak in 12’20.084”, 57 seconds faster than the record set last year.

The hill-climb vehicle was equipped with prototypes of YOKOHAMA’s BluEarth eco-tyres. The tyres use the latest eco-friendly technology to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining optimum grip. The course includes asphalt and gravel surfaces as well as others, so tyres must deliver superior performance everywhere. The new vehicle used lithium-ion batteries from Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and an AC motor from ACP Company of the United States. The man behind the wheel, Ikuo Hanawa, is an internationally known off-road driver. YOKOHAMA has competed in the hill climb for the past three years, looking for new ways to achieve the goals of “fun driving in harmony with the environment” and “development of superior tyres for electric vehicles.”