An electric car traversing the Americas to attract attention to greener alternatives has arrived at the British embassy in Santiago, Chile.
The car is a project developed by students and staff based out of the Imperial College London. They hope the arduous trip in the tiny electric sports car will spread the word on the technology.
The car, which is 100 percent electric, was greeted in Santiago by Jon Benjamin, Britain's ambassador to Chile, and hundreds of students.
"What we're seeing today is the prototype of a new generation. It proves possible the production of electric vehicles and we hope they will be mass produced so everyone can use them to save money and also save on gas," Benjamin said.
People ogled the sleek convertible at the embassy. The London-based group of eleven borrowed the chassis of the car from a gas-powered sports car, breaking with the image of boxy, slow-looking electric vehicles.
Twin engines located in the back of the car are run on batteries and put out 400 horse-power, meaning the car ran reach an impressive 124 miles per hour.
So far, things seem to be working as planned. The team took off from Alaska on August 1 and has since covered an average of 180 miles a day, making stops to show the car off and educate people on new technologies.
The seemingly insurmountable goal of driving the entire Pan-American highway now seems in reach, and the team hopes to reach Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of the continent, in ten days.
