A group of German students just broke a world record for the fastest accelerating electric vehicle. The students are from the University of Stuttgart, and they call themselves the Green Team. They designed and built the racing vehicle as part of an annual project to create an open, single-seater formula electric race car.
On July 18, the car was participated in a drag race on a German racetrack. After the race, the Green Team removed the car’s rear wing for less drag and optimal acceleration. With all-wheel drive and 1200 Nm of torque, the car zoomed from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 1.779 seconds, breaking the previous world record and helping students meet their goal of raising awareness about electric cars. The students are now waiting for official confirmation that they beat the previous record of 1.785 seconds, by Swiss team AMZ Racing. Proof is on its way to Guinness World Records, which will undergo four to six week approval process.
The electric car, dubbed the E0711-6, can go as fast as 81 miles per hour. It is made of aluminum and titanium, with a lightweight carbon fiber body. The students designed a battery management system and custom built the car’s electrical control unit. The battery has a capacity of 6.62 kWh, but the entire car still weighs just 636 pounds. The team is sponsored by SKF, a Swedish ball bearing company that provided the car’s four servomotors, which provide a combined output of 100 kW. Prisca Schmid, the 22-year-old student who drove the car, said it felt like riding on a roller coaster she could control.
