The Iowa International Raceway in Marshalltown will host the first of a series of races designed to promote the use of electricity to replace fosil fuels. The Ailliant Energy Iowa Electrathon series involves small, one-person electric cars built by teams of high school and community college students.
Chris Horan is with the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education and serves as the program director says this has been going on for six or seven years.
Next week the series will race at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, then Muscatine in the fall. He says they’re working a on a nation race at the speedway in Newton. The battery powered car completing the most laps in one hour wins the race.