University of New South Wales students have broken the world record for the fastest electric vehicle over a distance of 500 kilometresSteph Nash
A team of undergraduate engineering students from the University of New South Wales has managed to achieve a world record for the fastest electric-powered vehicle over a distance of 500km. The victory was achieved on July 23 at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Victoria, smashing the previous record by about 30km/h to reach 100km/h.
The winning vehicle is called the eVe Sunswift – the newest of five models created by the Sunswift team since 1996. Constructed in 15 months, the eVe is a sleek and luxurious looking vehicle, embodying the feel of a sports car. The team decided to ditch the practical four-seater approach for a slick James Bond-style road racer.
Sunswift’s business team leader Rob Ireland said an “excessive amount” of planning and preparation goes into building a solar car.
“Leading up to the record, we had engineers spending 40 to 50 hour weeks on top of their regular schedules to ensure everything was ready. The logistics, marketing and management of the team also required considerable effort during semester,” Ireland said.
The Sunswift team is made up of 60 undergraduate students from a range of disciplines. All students involved were volunteers, happy to juggle the preparation for the world record attempt along with their other commitments.
“Engineers will often attend a full day of uni or work and stay up into the early morning until tasks are completed,” Ireland said.
“It’s a fly or fall scenario, so each team member needs to give 100 per cent in order for us to achieve such incredible things as a world record.”
Previous models of the Sunswift have provided the team with great successes, including a world record for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney, and a Guinness World Record for the fastest solar car.
The eVe model uses solar panels and a hooded charger to charge the 60kg battery. The solar panels were switched off for the world record attempt, with the car running solely on battery power. The course was a 4.2km track, and the team achieved a revolution of more than 100km/h.
“The moment the record attempt was successfully complete the team was ecstatic with joy and emotion,” Ireland said.
“We had a late start due to the dense fog and one of our tyres blew out so we completed the record with only minutes to spare. Along with the joy and pride of the achievement, there was also a sense of relief that it was completed, and the team could return to Sydney as world record holders.”
The feat of design and engineering displayed by the eVe Sunswift has encouraged the team to strive to get the vehicle from research and into the mainstream market, hoping to have the model registered by NSW Roads and Maritime Services by March 2015.
“We’ve eroded the public’s perception that solar cars are unable to travel far – known as ‘range anxiety’ – or at practical speeds,” Ireland said.
“It’s not solely about pushing the boundaries of technology but altering the public’s perception about electric cars and renewable technology. By increasing public interest in more sustainable technologies we create more incentives for commercial companies to manufacture electric and solar-electric cars.”
The world record title for the fastest electric vehicle over a distance of 500km is now awaiting approval by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
