Invitation to the Press: Electric Supercar Meets the World's Most Advanced Telescopes on October 26 at Cerro Paranal, Chile

An extraordinary event is set to take place on Thursday, 26 October 2010, when one of the most advanced electric vehicles ever made, the SRZero supercar, will stop by at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal, Chile. The press are invited to attend this remarkable meeting of two technological masterpieces that are both examples of the finest inventions that have taken humanity to the limits of the possible, both on this planet and beyond.

The event for journalists will begin with a 16:00 check-in at Paranal Observatory, followed by extensive photo and video opportunities, tours of the telescopes, interviews with leading engineers and astronomers, and a stunning sunset around 20:00.

Interested journalists are asked to contact Gonzalo Argandona before the event at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Santiago Office (Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura; tel: +56 2 463 3258); or send an e-mail to [email protected], to obtain accreditation.

The visit of the SRZero electric supercar to the Very Large Telescope is an unrivalled opportunity to see the most advanced electric vehicle technology in use today, in a form that holds a great and lasting fascination for the public.

The SRZero electric supercar is a project carried out by the Racing Green Endurance (RGE) team from Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab, sponsored by KPMG Chile and supported in Chile by the British Embassy. The 400-bhp twin motor vehicle is touring the full 26 000 km length of the Pan-American Highway from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay to Ushuaia, one of the southernmost cities in the world.

ESO’s Very Large Telescope is the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and the flagship facility for European ground-based astronomy. It allows astronomers to peer into the depths of the cosmos, revealing distant objects like galaxies that are four billion times fainter than those which can be seen with the unaided eye.

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ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and VISTA, the world’s largest survey telescope. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

The international firm KPMG is the main sponsor of the RGE project. In Chile, KPMG and the British Embassy have carefully followed the vehicle since its arrival in South America, working together to make sure that the project has the greatest impact possible in the country. Both KPMG and the British Embassy in Chile are proud to introduce to the local community a vehicle that presents sustainable features and breakthrough technology in line with the significant advances made in the country during recent years.

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory

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