Drive eO

Drive eO is a Latvian engineering company focused on the design and development of electric and hybrid-electric prototype vehicles. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional consumer automobile manufacturer, it has used competitive motorsport as a testing ground for high-power electric drivetrains, all-wheel-drive systems, battery integration, and lightweight racing-vehicle architecture. The company was founded in 2011 with the objective of creating the OSCar eO, described as the first hybrid-electric rally car intended for the Dakar Rally. The project combined Drive eO's electric propulsion engineering with an OSCar O3 rally-raid platform manufactured by OSC. The resulting vehicle used a series-hybrid drivetrain and was driven by Latvian competitors Māris Saukāns and Andris Dambis. It successfully completed the 2012 Dakar Rally, providing the company with an early international demonstration of its engineering approach in one of the world's most demanding off-road events. After the Dakar program, Drive eO increasingly concentrated on electric hill-climb racing, particularly the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States. Its early Pikes Peak vehicles were designated eO PP01 and eO PP02. The PP01 used an all-wheel-drive electric drivetrain with one direct-drive motor mounted inboard for each wheel. Its tubular spaceframe and bodywork derived from the Aquila CR1 racing car. Latvian touring-car champion Jānis Horeliks drove the car in the 2013 event, although difficult weather and a slippery surface contributed to an off-road incident. The project was later documented in the Latvian motorsport film or television documentary "Uzvaras cena." For 2014, Drive eO developed the eO PP02 around a Tesla Roadster chassis. The original chassis was retained while the complete drivetrain was replaced with Drive eO's own system. The project served both as a competition vehicle and as a validation platform for components intended for later electric performance-car projects. Horeliks completed the Pikes Peak course in 12 minutes and 57.536 seconds, placing fifth in the Electric Modified division. The entry also represented the first participation of a Tesla-branded vehicle at a major international motorsport event, although the propulsion system used for the competition was developed by Drive eO. Drive eO's most significant racing project was the eO PP03, created for the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The purpose-built car used a one-megawatt electric drivetrain and all-wheel drive. New Zealand-American driver Rhys Millen was recruited for the program, which targeted not only the electric-class record but overall event victory. Millen completed the course in 9 minutes and 7.222 seconds, setting a new electric-vehicle record and winning the event overall. This result established Drive eO as one of the notable specialist engineering participants in electric hill-climb racing. The company continued development with the eO PP100. In 2016, the vehicle was reported with peak power of 1,190 kilowatts, equivalent to approximately 1,600 horsepower, peak torque of 2,520 newton-metres, and a mass of 1,200 kilograms. Rhys Millen recorded an 8:57.118 run with the car. Across these programs, Drive eO's public identity has been defined by experimental electric race vehicles and prototype engineering rather than by mass production, retail distribution, or a broad consumer product portfolio.

Drive eO was established in Latvia in 2011 as an engineering venture dedicated to electric and hybrid-electric prototype vehicles. Its first major program was the OSCar eO, a hybrid-electric rally vehicle created for the 2012 Dakar Rally. The vehicle was based on the OSCar O3 rally-raid platform manufactured by OSC and used a series-hybrid drivetrain. Māris Saukāns and Andris Dambis drove the car, which successfully completed the rally. The program gave Drive eO an early public platform for demonstrating electric propulsion in long-distance off-road competition. The company subsequently developed a sequence of electric racing prototypes for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The eO PP01 was an all-wheel-drive electric vehicle with four inboard direct-drive motors, one for each wheel. It used a tubular spaceframe chassis and bodywork derived from the Aquila CR1 racing car. Jānis Horeliks drove the prototype in the 2013 Pikes Peak event. Adverse weather made the course surface slippery, and Horeliks went off the road after losing grip in a left-hand corner near the Halfway Picnic Grounds. The project was later featured in a documentary titled "Uzvaras cena," first broadcast in Latvia in September 2013. Drive eO returned to Pikes Peak in 2014 with the eO PP02. This vehicle used a Tesla Roadster chassis, while Drive eO replaced the original drivetrain with its own electric system. The approach allowed the company to validate newly developed components on an existing performance-vehicle platform before applying related technology to later electric supercar projects. Horeliks completed the hill climb in 12 minutes and 57.536 seconds and finished fifth in the Electric Modified division. The entry was also notable because it marked the first representation of the Tesla brand at a major international motorsport event, although the competition drivetrain was engineered by Drive eO. For the 2015 running of the event, Drive eO built the eO PP03 as a new purpose-developed racing vehicle. The car used a one-megawatt electric drivetrain and all-wheel-drive transmission. Rhys Millen was selected as driver, and the team pursued overall victory rather than only a class result. Millen completed the course in 9 minutes and 7.222 seconds. The performance set a new electric-vehicle record and made the eO PP03 the first all-electric vehicle to win the Pikes Peak event overall. The achievement became the company's defining motorsport milestone. Drive eO continued the Pikes Peak development line with the eO PP100. Reported specifications for the 2016 vehicle included peak power of 1,190 kilowatts, or approximately 1,600 horsepower, peak torque of 2,520 newton-metres, and a weight of 1,200 kilograms. Millen recorded an 8:57.118 run. The PP100 demonstrated the progression from the company's earlier electric prototypes toward increasingly powerful and lightweight hill-climb machines. Drive eO's documented work is centered on engineering and competition prototypes rather than series-produced passenger cars. Its programs have combined motorsport validation with the development of electric propulsion technologies for demanding applications. Public reference material does not establish a wider retail product range, a corporate parent, a stock-market listing, or a detailed current management structure.

• 2016

  eO PP100 records an 8:57.118 run

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  The eO PP100 achieves an 8:57.118 Pikes Peak run and is reported with 1,190 kilowatts of peak power.

• 2015

  eO PP03 wins Pikes Peak overall

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  Rhys Millen drives the one-megawatt eO PP03 to overall victory and a new electric-vehicle record with a 9:07.222 run.

• 2014

  Tesla Roadster-based eO PP02 competes at Pikes Peak

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  Drive eO uses a Tesla Roadster chassis for the eO PP02 and installs its own electric drivetrain. The car finishes fifth in the Electric Modified division.

• 2013

  eO PP01 competes at Pikes Peak

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  The four-motor all-wheel-drive eO PP01 enters the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with Jānis Horeliks as driver.

• 2012

  OSCar eO completes the Dakar Rally

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  The hybrid-electric OSCar eO, driven by Māris Saukāns and Andris Dambis, successfully completes the Dakar Rally.

• 2011

  Drive eO is founded

  [1]Drive eOen.wikipedia.org

  The Latvian engineering company is founded to develop electric and hybrid-electric prototype vehicles, beginning with the OSCar eO Dakar project.

A specialist motorsport and vehicle-engineering company positioned around high-performance electric and hybrid-electric prototypes for extreme rally and hill-climb applications.

• Hybrid-electric rally vehicle · 2011

  OSCar eO

  The OSCar eO was Drive eO's first major prototype program. Developed for the 2012 Dakar Rally, it was based on the OSCar O3 rally-raid platform manufactured by OSC and used a series-hybrid drivetrain. Māris Saukāns and Andris Dambis drove the vehicle to a successful Dakar completion, making it an early demonstration of hybrid-electric propulsion in international off-road racing.

• Electric hill-climb racing prototype · 2013

  eO PP01

  The eO PP01 was an all-wheel-drive electric racing vehicle developed for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It used one inboard-mounted direct-drive motor for each wheel, a tubular spaceframe chassis, and bodywork derived from the Aquila CR1 racing car. Jānis Horeliks drove the car in the 2013 event, where difficult weather conditions contributed to an off-road incident.

• Electric hill-climb racing prototype · 2014

  eO PP02

  The eO PP02 was built around a Tesla Roadster chassis for the 2014 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Drive eO retained the chassis but replaced the drivetrain with its own electric system. The vehicle served as a competition entry and a validation platform for components intended for later high-performance electric projects. Jānis Horeliks completed the course in 12:57.536 and placed fifth in the Electric Modified division.

• Electric hill-climb racing prototype · 2015

  eO PP03

  The eO PP03 was a purpose-built electric racing vehicle developed for the 2015 Pikes Peak event. Its drivetrain was rated at one megawatt and powered an all-wheel-drive transmission. With Rhys Millen driving, the car completed the course in 9:07.222, set a new electric-vehicle record at the time, and became the first all-electric vehicle to win Pikes Peak overall.

• Electric hill-climb racing prototype · 2016

  eO PP100

  The eO PP100 represented a further development of Drive eO's Pikes Peak racing platform. Reported specifications for the 2016 vehicle included 1,190 kilowatts of peak power, 2,520 newton-metres of peak torque, and a weight of 1,200 kilograms. Rhys Millen recorded an 8:57.118 run with the car, demonstrating the company's continued emphasis on extreme power-to-weight performance.

• 2015eO PP03 Pikes Peak overall-victory campaign

  United States · International motorsport

  Drive eO developed a new one-megawatt electric all-wheel-drive vehicle and recruited Rhys Millen to pursue overall victory at Pikes Peak.

  Outcome. The eO PP03 won the event overall and set a new electric-vehicle record with a 9:07.222 time.

  Source
• 2013eO PP01 Pikes Peak program

  United States · International motorsport

  Drive eO entered the eO PP01 in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to develop and demonstrate a four-motor all-wheel-drive electric racing system.

  Outcome. The run was compromised by slippery conditions, and the driver went off-road at a left-hand corner.

  Source
• 2012OSCar eO Dakar Rally program

  International

  Drive eO introduced its hybrid-electric engineering approach through an OSCar eO entry in the Dakar Rally, using the event as a demanding test of electric propulsion in rally-raid conditions.

  Outcome. The vehicle successfully completed the rally.

  Source

• 2015

  Develop the one-megawatt eO PP03Product launch

  Background

  Following earlier prototype work at Pikes Peak, Drive eO pursued a purpose-built vehicle capable of competing for overall event victory.

  Action taken

  The company created the eO PP03 with a one-megawatt electric drivetrain and all-wheel-drive transmission and signed Rhys Millen as driver.

  Aftermath

  The car won Pikes Peak overall and set a new electric-vehicle record.

  Source

• 2014

  Use a Tesla Roadster chassis for the eO PP02Generation change

  Background

  Drive eO needed a platform for testing an updated electric drivetrain ahead of later electric performance-vehicle projects.

  Action taken

  The company retained a Tesla Roadster chassis but replaced its complete drivetrain with Drive eO-developed electric components.

  Aftermath

  The resulting eO PP02 completed the 2014 Pikes Peak course in 12:57.536 and finished fifth in the Electric Modified division.

  Source

1. 1Drive eOen.wikipedia.org