When we had everything set up though, the media did not arrive. After waiting around and calling a lot of people to try and find out what was going on, we heard from Cindy, the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association PR liaison, that the media had actually come much earlier than agreed, and had disappeared even before we had arrived. This constituted our first no-show, and despite the fact that we were a little disappointed, it still gave us a lot of time to explain the car many of the hotel’s guests. We did have a good 220+ mile drive ahead of us though, so we thought it best to take a quick lunch and push onwards towards Flagstaff, Arizona!

You may be wondering, at this point, why it always seems that we are pushed for time and are not taking the opportunity to explore the wonderful places we have been through. There is a very good explanation for this. Firstly, we have a massive priority deadline, and that is to get to Austin, Texas on or before the August 1st so that we can fulfil a long held promise to one of our main sponsors, National Instruments (NI).

Throughout the project, NI have strongly supported us, and we were determined to get to their week long exhibition, where we were due to deliver one of the keynote presentations, on time. Secondly, we only have finite resources, and lengthening the trip to visit more energy-related attractions would be costly. However, our date commitments will not be anywhere near as strenuous as we go south into Mexico, so we will be able to spend much more time investigating the local energy generation and infrastructure; something which is an essential part to a future containing electric vehicles en masse. Visiting these sites is very important for the documentary series which is being produced which will ultimately help inform all those who see it as to the benefits of electric vehicles.

That being said, as long as some of these attractions are on our route, we would be able to make best use of them. And what a place we were due to cross next…the Hoover Dam! The massive 2 gigawatt dam around 20 miles out of Las Vegas, still generating electricity and diverting water for irrigation over 70 years after construction, sat imposingly in the magnificence of the Colorado River’s Black Canyon. And to top it all off, just before getting to the dam, we found a helicopter service that was selling arial tours of the area. So the team split up with myself and Toby crossing the dam in the SRZero, and the rest of the team split between the support vehicle and helicopter. Before long we were driving across the dam, with the helicopter circling overhead taking magnificent pictures and videos! Feel free to check our videos section which shows the Hoover Dam in a very dramatic video.

By now we were in the real desert; scorching heat and barren earth surrounded us. But it was true untouched beauty that awaited us as we sped east. Huge desert plateaus surrounded by dark brown mountains in the distance made for interesting viewing, and also provided the perfect backdrop to another one of Claudio’s video which will shortly make its way onto the cybersphere.

By the time we reached Flagstaff in Arizona, it was already dark but we could sense a strong difference in the climate around us as the air was cooler, moister, and thinner. A quick look at Claudio’s altimeter confirmed our altitude at over 2,100m; the height of many alpine ski runs! But the normal routine kicked in and it was time to get the car on charge at the local Ramada, which is where we were due to stay. A quick rewiring of the 220 volt dryer socket, as it had yet another plug which we hadn’t come across, and we were up and running! Yet another successful day as RGE made it safely out of Vegas and through the desert!

Now, Kyle was in the military for 24 years and I suspect he got used to waking people up at ungodly hours. He had clearly developed a successful technique because at 4.30am the house started shaking with the sweet sounds of Dire Straits and the Sultans of Swing. If that wasn’t enough to stir us from our slumbers, then his next act of human alarm clock was even more extreme; a blur as Kyle ran down the stairs accompanied by the some of the most famous words on the trip so far: “WAKE UP MAAAAAAAAN!”. This was repeated several times as he excitedly bounced around the room like a tennis ball on steroids!

And before we knew it he was shaking us out of our sleeping bags and getting us on our feet. It was by far the most vigorous and effective wakeup call we had ever had. He then introduced us to “3 in 1 American flavoured Mongolian Coffee” which certainly helped the waking up process. If any one of you have a logical explanation of precisely what 3 in 1 American flavoured Mongolian Coffee is, please let me know. Anyway, it certainly was tasty, and before long we were readying the SRZero and support van for the next leg.

With the desert sun rising in front of us, the convoy of the SRZero, support vehicle, motorbike and Kyle’s car headed off with Nik and Kyle leading in the SRZero. For half an hour we drove east on the famed Route 66 until we came to Barstow which is where Kyle had to leave us to go to work. It was unfortunate to see him depart as over the last 36 hours he had somehow become an integral and cherished member of the team. We wish him all the best for the future and we hope that he can find the time to bunk work and join us on our travels somewhere!

After Barstow we headed east and after a few more hours of boiling hot desert sun (even though it was still so early in the morning) the infamous skyline of Las Vegas loomed up ahead. After seeing this city in so many films and pictures, it was a surreal and giddy experience driving up to the Strip in such an outrageous car!

Now, I have had one or two emails from misinformed individuals who lambast RGE for being a disorganised rabble. The truth is that this is far from the case, and for most days we have several contingency plans for where we can charge the car and get some sleep ourselves. On this occasion, we had several options, all offered by the kind members of the local Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA). However, being on the Strip with the SRZero, we felt we had to try our luck at one of the big hotels.

And so we headed for the Mirage, which was highly recommended to us by some friends as a fantastic place to stay! In we drove into their carriage driveway; jaws brushed the floor as we silently cruised by and came to a halt outside the main entrance. Before long we had several of the managers outside, and the team were animatedly explaining to them how we had the idea of charging the car up in their facility, and then displaying it in the middle of the entrance for all to see. Oh, and we wanted to hold a media event there.

They were a little shocked to say the least, but in true Las Vegas style, they made it happen, and all the necessary clearances and permissions where swiftly obtained from the higher authorities! And to polish it all off, we were offered a highly discounted rate to stay in their hotel…perfect! The hotel’s engineers were sent down to help us locate a plug while the rest of the team happily chatted away to the growing audience. While doing so, the local contingent of EV enthusiasts came by to see the hotel, and as with San Francisco several days earlier, we spent a happy while going into detail about the car and project.

After just 2 more hours, the car was on charge in a secure part of the hotel’s garage, we were checked into the hotel, showered, changed, and ready to explore a little. As for the rest of the day, there’s a famous saying which goes something like: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

We completely agree!