A student-built electric car has become one of the fastest accelerating cars on the planet, beating cars like the Bugatti Veyron and McLaren P1 from 0 to 62mph.
The all-electric machine was designed by 40 students from the University of Stuttgart with one purpose in mind: to beat other competing teams in a sprint from standing to 100km/h. And so it did, beating the existing record by 0.006 seconds.
Driver Priska Schmid is seen blasting up to 62mph in an astonishing 1.779 seconds in the YouTube video, making it quicker than a Formula One car.
Four electric motors hooked up to a 6.62kWh battery generate 134hp, which seems very little but the car weighs only 160kg, owing to its tiny size and the use of carbon fibre here and there. In car terms it’s basically a paper bag with wheels.
That means the power-to-weight ratio is 0.8375hp per kg of weight, which is not that far off the Koenigsegg’s one-to-one and more than a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. No wonder, then, it exerts 1.8g of force at full pelt – twice that of a free-fall.
The run took place at Jadeweser airport in Northern Germany. An official record requires two runs and Guinness will be officially confirming the time in a few weeks. If all is legitimate, the electric vehicle acceleration world record will be in the bag.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Tesla Model S P85D.
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