E-VEHICLES DEBUT AT DESERT RALLY
Small contingent of electric cars first to compete at all-female Moroccan event
The stiff wind whips a thin film of sand across the barren, rockstrewn landscape of eastern Morocco, spreading fine silica into the clear blue sky.
The red flag, denoting a checkpoint for the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles — the Gazelles Rally — flaps noisily in the stiff breeze, its attendant sitting languidly under it in the warm sand. And then a glint on the horizon: an oncoming rally car, ready to break the silence of the desert.
Only, it doesn’t. Even as it comes to a stop at the checkpoint, there is no loud rattle or roar from the exhaust, only the eerily quiet sound of the tires rolling over rocks. That’s because it’s an electric vehicle. For the first time in the 28-year history of the allfemale Moroccan off-road rally, there is an EV class. It’s the first time any desert rally in the world has electric cars competing.
“This is the first rally in the world with ISO certification for environmental management,” says Dominique Serra. “So having electric cars is in line with that. It’s a continuation with the whole environmental approach and process that has been undertaken by the rally from the beginning.”
Serra, from Paris, is the founder, chief organizer and driving force behind the Gazelles Rally.
After testing an electric car last year, Serra and her organizers have now included them in the eight-day competition.
“There is an increasing interest and demand from participants,” she says. “There are a couple of teams this year that are only doing it because there is an electric vehicle element.”
The electric category consists of five nearly identical vehicles, tiny city cars such as the BlueSummer and the Citröen E-Mahari, which are not available in North America. To help with the off-road terrain, the cars have been raised slightly and had other modifications for the rugged travel, but there’s no getting around the fact these are still front-wheel-drive cars not entirely suited to tall dunes or rocky passes.
Because of this, the E-Gazelles category has shorter routes through less difficult terrain than the rest of the 4x4 classes.
Having electric cars in the desert begs the question: how do you charge them?
In behind the mechanics’ tents at the vast bivouac campsite sits an array of solar panels facing the eastern sky. There are 18 in all, cabled to a large battery in a van just off to the side, which fully charges by around 2 p.m. each day and will be used for charging EVs overnight. But that’s only enough to charge one car. Four other cars are fed on a diesel generator that is also supplying power to the mechanics.
“We just are testing this time for one car to see how it works,” says James Morlaix, as he adjusts cables around the generator in preparation for incoming cars. “For next time, we’ll probably have panels and batteries for all the cars.”
Morlaix is an electric vehicle consultant based in the south of France. He’s here as an expert on the charging infrastructure needed to keep these cars going.
“We can have more solar panels,” he says, his hand sweeping over the vast flat and empty landscape surrounding the bivouac.
“Of course, it takes money. But what Dominique wants, she usually delivers.”
Electric cars aren’t confined to the E class. Carine Poisson (driver) and Solen Kerleroux (navigator) are both from France and are both engineers with the French carmaker Renault. They’re competing in a beefedup Renault Zoe EV (think Nissan Leaf ) in the crossover class.
At one checkpoint during Day Two, their minuscule hatchback is hooked up to their own van full of batteries for a top-up of power before continuing on. Both women have done the rally in the past with diesel-powered 4x4s, but this time they decided to tackle the event in an electric.
“We wanted to show that the car is more than a city car,” says Poisson. “Maybe even have a capability to go off road.”
This isn’t an official entry from Renault, but the team is a partnership with the carmaker and other tech companies, as well as Renault employees who share the women’s passion for rallying. To prep for the rugged terrain, the front-wheel-drive Zoe has been raised 50 centimetres, to a 250cm ride height, with stronger suspension, beefier wheels and tires, and protective plates underneath.
“It’s very smooth and very efficient,” says Poisson. “I think it’s better than (gas engines) because it’s more smooth. We really feel it in the throttle. You get a sensation for the motor. And we have exactly the torque we want, immediate torque.
“But we have issues in sand, because we are not 4x4. Yesterday we had difficulties, we got stuck, even in flat sands.”
Poisson says that the Zoe is good for a range of about 300 kilometres under normal conditions, but with the cold temperatures (it’s about 10 C this morning), deflated tires (for better grip in the sand) and more difficult terrain, it could drop to as low as 140 km.
“Today we will refill twice, but it’s up to the Gazelle officials to decide when. For example, yesterday we did not have a refill, and we were 10 kilometres from the bivouac, we ran out of power, and we were penalized.”