White Lightning

White Lightning was a purpose-built electric land-speed record car developed in the United States by Dempsey's World Record Associates (DWRA). It was created for high-speed electric-vehicle competition rather than for commercial production, road use, or conventional automotive retail. Its significance came from demonstrating that a battery-powered vehicle could achieve a speed comparable with that of specialized internal-combustion land-speed machines. On October 22, 1999, White Lightning recorded a speed of 245.523 miles per hour (395.131 kilometers per hour) over a measured one-mile course at the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah. The run established a world land-speed record for an electric-powered vehicle at the time and made White Lightning a notable milestone in the development of high-performance electric propulsion. The car's record was achieved on a salt-flat racing surface, where vehicles make carefully prepared high-speed passes under specialized rules and conditions; it was not a production-car speed claim. The vehicle used two electric motors, each rated at 150 kilowatts, or approximately 201 horsepower. Together, the motors were described as producing roughly the equivalent of 400 horsepower, or about 298 kilowatts. Power came from a complex 420-volt battery system containing 6,120 nickel-metal-hydride batteries in AA-size cells. This architecture reflected the engineering challenges of the period: the car required a large, high-voltage energy store and dedicated motor controllers to deliver the sustained power needed for a record attempt. Pat Rummerfield drove White Lightning during its record-setting runs. Rummerfield was identified in the reference material as the first fully recovered quadriplegic in the world, adding a notable human and accessibility dimension to the project. The car was therefore associated not only with electric-vehicle engineering but also with an ambitious record program involving a driver whose personal history attracted public attention. White Lightning's record remained an important benchmark until the Buckeye Bullet exceeded it in October 2003. The Buckeye Bullet surpassed the record again in October 2004, raising the electric land-speed benchmark to 315.958 miles per hour (508.485 kilometers per hour). These later achievements placed White Lightning within a sequence of experimental electric racing vehicles that helped document the rapid improvement of electric propulsion and energy-storage technology. No evidence in the supplied material indicates that White Lightning became a commercial vehicle, a continuing consumer brand, or an active product line.

White Lightning was a specialized electric land-speed record car built by Dempsey's World Record Associates (DWRA) in the United States. It belonged to the experimental record-vehicle tradition, in which engineers develop highly specialized machines to demonstrate the maximum capability of a propulsion technology. Unlike a production automobile, White Lightning was not presented as a consumer vehicle or as part of a conventional model range. Its purpose was to compete for an electric-vehicle speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The car's propulsion system consisted of two electric motors and dedicated controllers. Each motor was rated at 150 kilowatts, equivalent to approximately 201 horsepower, with the combined system described as delivering roughly 400 horsepower, or about 298 kilowatts. Energy was supplied by a 420-volt battery pack containing 6,120 nickel-metal-hydride cells in AA-size form. The configuration illustrates the scale and complexity required to produce high output from electric systems in the late 1990s, when battery energy density and high-power charging infrastructure were considerably less advanced than in later electric-performance programs. On October 22, 1999, White Lightning made its defining achievement at the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah. It reached 245.523 miles per hour, or 395.131 kilometers per hour, over a distance of one mile. The result was recognized as a world land-speed record for an electric-powered vehicle and made the car the fastest electric vehicle in the world at that time. The record established White Lightning as an early landmark in the history of high-speed electric propulsion. Pat Rummerfield drove the vehicle during the record program. Reference material describes Rummerfield as the first fully recovered quadriplegic in the world. His participation gave the project an additional human-interest dimension beyond its engineering achievement and linked the record attempt with a prominent story of physical recovery and driving accomplishment. White Lightning's position at the top of the electric land-speed category did not last indefinitely. In October 2003, the Buckeye Bullet exceeded its record. The Buckeye Bullet again surpassed the White Lightning benchmark in October 2004, reaching 315.958 miles per hour, or 508.485 kilometers per hour. These successive improvements show how quickly specialist electric record vehicles advanced after White Lightning's achievement. The supplied sources do not document a later commercial production program, ongoing corporate operation, or a current successor product under the White Lightning name.

• 2004

  Electric record raised to 315.958 mph

  [1]White Lightning (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The Buckeye Bullet surpassed White Lightning again in October and increased the electric land-speed record to 315.958 miles per hour.

• 2003

  Record surpassed by the Buckeye Bullet

  [1]White Lightning (car)en.wikipedia.org

  The Buckeye Bullet exceeded White Lightning's electric land-speed record in October.

• 1999

  Electric land-speed record established

  [1]White Lightning (car)en.wikipedia.org

  On October 22, White Lightning reached 245.523 miles per hour over one mile at the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, setting a world record for an electric-powered vehicle.

Experimental electric-vehicle engineering project focused on setting high-speed land records.

• Electric land-speed record car

  White Lightning

  A purpose-built electric racing vehicle developed by Dempsey's World Record Associates for high-speed land-speed attempts. It used two 150-kilowatt electric motors, motor controllers, and a 420-volt battery pack containing 6,120 nickel-metal-hydride AA-size cells. The vehicle reached 245.523 miles per hour over a measured mile at Bonneville in 1999.

1. 1White Lightning (car)en.wikipedia.org