The McMurtry Spéirling fan car has achieved an independently measured 0-60mph in 1.40s and 1/4mile (400m) in 7.97s during filming for one of YouTube’s largest automotive channels, carwow. This makes it the fastest accelerating car they have ever tested, surpassing some of the World’s greatest cars: the Bugatti Chiron, an F1 car and the Rimac Nevera.
We are a little late in reporting on the McMurtry, but better late than never. While the McMurtry may cost £2,000,000 (~ AU$3m) due to low volume F1 style carbon fibre fabrication used in it's construction, the Spéirling is the first EV to demonstrate an electrically powered downforce-on-demand fan system offering 2,000 kg of instant downforce from stand-still that delivers acceleration previously reserved for drag racing specific cars.
In terms of power output, it has two electric motors that produce 1,000 hp. Now you may not think that’s too impressive, given EVs such as the Rimac Nevera come with almost 2,000 hp. However, whereas the Nevera weighs over 2 tonnes, the McMurtry Spéirling weighs less than one tonne!!
Rimac's Nevera can do 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, and was previously the only production car ever to do a sub-nine second quarter mile. The Spéirling beats it to 60 by an astonishing half a second, and demolishes its quarter mile by half a second also.
Japan’s state-of-the-art Maglev train set a world speed record Tuesday during a test run near Mount Fuji, clocking more than 600 km/h.
The seven-car Maglev — short for magnetic levitation — train, hit a top speed of 603 km/h (377 Mph), and managed nearly 11 seconds over 600 km/h Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) said.
The new record came less than a week after the train clocked 590 km/h, by breaking its own 2003 record of 581 km/h.
The Maglev hovers 10 cm above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets.
JR Tokai wants to have a train in service in 2027 plying the route between Tokyo and Nagoya, a distance of 286 km.
The service, which will run at a top speed of 500 km/h, is expected to connect the two cities in only 40 minutes, less than half the time it takes by shinkansen.
By 2045 Maglev trains are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just 67 minutes, slashing the journey time in half.
However, construction costs for the dedicated lines are astronomical — estimated at nearly ¥11.9 trillion just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80 percent of the route expected to go through costly tunnels.
A Japanese team set a world record Friday for distance travelled by an electric vehicle on a single battery charge, running 1,300 km on a course in Akita Prefecture.
The four-driver team included Kenjiro Shinozuka, 64, who in 1997 became the first Japanese driver to win the Dakar Rally.
The team said it plans to file a request with Guinness World Records for recognition of the feat, which eclipsed the previous mark of 1,003.2 km.
The drivers used an EV converted Suzuki Every minivan, equipped with a 135 kWh lithium-ion battery, to lap the 25-km-long course.
The challenge to the record started on Wednesday at the Solar Sports Line, a dedicated 25-kilometer course in the village of Ogata in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita.
The four took turns at the wheel to drive the vehicle day and night at speeds of around 30 kph.
After passing the previous record shortly past 12:30 a.m. Friday (3:30 p.m. Thursday GMT), the vehicle ran out of power and stopped around 10:30 a.m., some 46 and a half hours after starting.
NEDRA President John Metric has taken his Miata, Assault and Battery to an all-time 1/4 mile record for an Electric door slammer at Royal Purple Raceway with a best time of 9.12 at 145 mph!
The EV record has been held by Black Current III since 2010 with a 9.51 sec @135 mph pass of Santa Pod.
The tube frame and tubbed 2002 Mazda Miata runs 2x 2000 amp Zilla 2K-EHV controllers feeding dual brushed DC NetGain 9-inch motors, a Lenco 2 speed and double GV overdrive.
The boot mounted battery pack contains 450x LiPo 100C RC car batteries wired 90S5P that are good for 775 peak battery HP @ 375v. For the record run the controllers were set to 170 volt & 1100 amps per motor.
Drayson Racing is proud to announce that it has set a new World Electric Land Speed Record of 204.185mph.
Former science minister, businessman and racing driver Lord Drayson was behind the wheel of the Drayson B12 69/EV electric Le-Mans Prototype in near perfect conditions, the Oxford-based sustainable motorsport company smashed the previous 175mph record, which had stood for nearly forty years, by 29.2mph.
As the new world record holder, Lord Drayson commented:
"I'm delighted we've beaten the record tonight and can show the world EVs can be fast and reliable. Drayson Racing is a laboratory for EV technology, testing it to the most extreme level, as we've seen today."
"It is not the outright speed of 204.185mph that is most impressive about this record, but the engineering challenge of accelerating a 1000kg electric vehicle on a short runway over a measured mile. However I've got a great team and world-class partners, such as Qualcomm Halo, Michelin, Multimatic and Cosworth."
"This is a true celebration of Britain's leading position within the burgeoning electric vehicle industry and I'm delighted to be at the forefront of this electric revolution. We hope to set more records tomorrow. "
Drayson Racing is a research and development business, pioneering the development of sustainable technologies in the challenging environment of motorsport. With the electric land speed record it intends to showcase what is possible with an electric drivetrain and underscore Britain's leadership position in the EV industry.
Tesla Model S owner Bruno Bowden recently set a new world record for the longest distance driven on a single charge, 425.8 miles (681.28 km). The record was announced at the TED2013 conference in Long Beach by Elon Musk.
At this stage, it's not known what route was taken but we do know that in order to reduce aero drag an average speed of 18 mph (29 km/h) was maintained throughout the 24 hour trip.
The world record for a Tesla Roadster on a single charge was 347.2 miles or 555.5 kms set in 2011 on a on a closed circuit in California, again achieved using a low average speed of only 25 mph (40 km/h)
Both these Tesla records actually beat the Guinness World Record from 2009 of 345 miles (552 km) but this distance was far surpassed by the same Japanese team in 2010 at 626.00 miles (1,003.184 km) using an EV converted Daihatsu Mira microcar.
Venturi and Ohio State University have teamed up to create the VBB-3 which will attempt to set a new world speed record for electric vehicles.
With 3,000 HP, the 3rd generation Venturi Buckeye Bullet will be the most powerful electric car ever built. Roger Schroer, test driver at the Transportation Research Center (Ohio) and current holder of the FIA world record (which he achieved in 2010 aboard the VENTURI VBB-2.5 - reaching a top speed of 495 km/h (307.58 mph)), is planning to hit 600 km/h (372.82 mph) in 2013, followed by 700 km/h (434.96 mph) in 2014 before pushing the limits still further in 2015.
Bonneville Utah: World Speed Capital
The 1st public unveiling of the VBB-3 will take place on the Bonneville Salt Flats, where it will take part in the SPEEDWEEK on August 10 - 16, 2013. The FIA record attempts will take place on September 12 and 18, 2013.
Technical laboratory
Because the VBB-3 doubles as a test bed for electric power trains subjected to extreme conditions and environments, this new records program amounts to a truly strategic R&D initiative for VENTURI. As far as the Ohio State Center for Automotive Research (CAR) is concerned. This program presents our students with a unique experience to extend their engineering education. It is the culmination of 20 years of Electric Vehicle racing at Ohio State – we do not know of any other program that has embraced e-motorsports continuously for two decades, and we are grateful to Venturi for giving us the opportunity to seek ever higher challenges in electric racing.», says Giorgio Rizzoni, Director of the CAR.
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, the 100% electric Nissan LEAF set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest time over a distance of one mile in reverse.
Professional stunt driver Terry Grant, who at the 2011 Festival of Speed drove a Nissan JUKE up the hillclimb course on two wheels, set a time of 1m 37.02s at an average speed of 55 mph (88.5km/h) over the famous 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb course.
Having set the record on Friday, the opening day of the Festival, Terry went on to smash his time on Saturday and Sunday, shaving an amazing 26 seconds off Friday's time
With direct drive from the electric motor to its wheels, the Nissan LEAF going backwards should be able to hit the same top speed it manages going forwards. With its batteries located under the floor of the car, it has a low centre of gravity making the car very stable at speed with little body roll under cornering.
The attempt was part of Nissan's ambitious social media-driven campaign, The Big Turn On, which is spreading the EV message across Europe. The campaign aims to prove that as well as being environmentally friendly, the Nissan LEAF is safe, economical to run, practical, and fun to drive.
The R8 e-tron has set a new record for a production vehicle with an electric drive system on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Racing driver Markus Winkelhock piloted the high-performance, all-electric-drive sports car around the demanding 20.8-kilometer (12.92-mile) track in 8:09.099 minutes. With this Audi has achieved yet another milestone in its history, following overall wins at the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Le Mans.
“The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world,” said Michael Dick, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: “The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure.”
A comparison with the current record lap driven by a combustion engined production car shows just how impressive the 8:09.099-minute time really is. The record time of 7:11.57 minutes was achieved with a Gumpert Apollo Sport, which is powered by a 515 kW (700 hp) Audi V8 gasoline engine.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) set a new lap record for an electric vehicle at the Nürburgring of 7:47.794-minute on 29 August 2011 using a Radical track day car powered by two EVO Electric motors.
The drive system of the Audi R8 e-tron that Markus Winkelhock drove to the world record corresponds in every detail with that of the production model that will come on the market at the end of the year. Both of the car’s electric motors generate an output of 230 kW and 820 Nm of torque; more than 4,900 Nm (3,614.05 lb-ft) are distributed to the rear wheels nearly from a standing start.
The Audi R8 e-tron accelerates from zero to 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 4.6 seconds. Its top speed is normally limited to 200 km/h (124.27 mph); 250 km/h (155.34 mph) was approved for the record-setting lap.
The R8 e-tron’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery stores 49 KWh of energy – enough for a distance of about 215 kilometers (133.59 miles). Its “T” shape allows it to be installed in the center tunnel and in the area between the passenger compartment and the rear axle. It is charged by energy recovery during coasting and braking. The ultralight car body of the Audi R8 e-tron is made primarily of aluminum, along with CFRP components; this is a main reason why the high-performance sports car weighs just 1,780 kilograms (3,924.23 lb), despite the large battery.
In order to further underscore the production-relevance of the R8 e-tron and the capability of its drive technology, Audi has set another record on the Nordschleife in addition to the single lap record time. Immediately afterwards, Markus Winkelhock drove two fast laps in one go in a second R8 e-tron that was limited to 200 km/h (124.27 mph). At 8:30.873 and 8:26.096 minutes, both laps were well under the important nine-minute threshold.
“The record drives were a fantastic experience for me,” said Markus Winkelhock. The 32-year-old, who lives near Stuttgart, has a high standard for comparison – the Audi R8 LMS ultra, in which he, along with Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler, won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago.
“Of course, the R8 e-tron is a production car, not a racing car with the assistance of aerodynamics,” Winkelhock emphasized. “But with its low center of gravity and rear biased weight distribution, it brings with it a lot of sporty qualities. The torque with which the electric motors propel the car uphill beats everything that I know – even if they make hardly any noise in the process, which at the start was really a completely new experience for me. In places where I really need traction, the torque vectoring – the displacement of the torque between the powered wheels – really helps me.”
Michael Dick proudly summed up events after the record-setting drive at the Nürburgring. “Within just a few weeks we’ve taken on some big challenges and in the process we’ve shown that we are at the forefront with all of our drive concepts,” he said, adding:“We won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in May in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with a ten-cylinder engine.
In mid-June we triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first overall victory for a hybrid-electric vehicle in the toughest race in the world. And now we’ve set another record with the all-electric-drive R8 e-tron on the most demanding track there is.”
News footage from the UNSW Sunswift team's record-breaking run at Nowra NSW where the solar car, IVy, became officially the world's fastest solar car with a speed of 88 km/h.
The owner of an all-electric Tesla Roadster from Texas has set a new record for distance traveled on a single battery charge: 347.2 miles or 555.5 kms.
The GPS log of the trip, completed on a closed circuit in California last week, has been posted as proof, but Tesla Motors hasn’t officially verified the new record.
The record is for a production vehicle — no extra batteries or special modifications allowed. The roadster is special in one way; it was the 1000th car to roll off the Tesla assembly line. (Hence its license plate: VIN1K.)
The car, which can reach 120 mph, didn’t set any speed records on this journey. The two-person driving team maintained a nearly constant speed of 25 mph.
The previous record distance traveled on one charge in a standard production Tesla Roadster was 501 kms or 313 miles set during the 2009 World Solar Challenge in Australia. Tesla Motors puts the official range for the roadster at 244 miles on a single charge.
The flight in July over the US army Yuma proving ground by the Qinetiq ‘Zephyr’ has been ratified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) as a world record for the longest unbroken time spent in the air by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The flight lasted 10 times longer than the previous duration record held by the RQ 4A Global Hawk.
the absolute duration record for an Unmanned Air Vehicle – being filed at 336 hrs / 22 minutes
the duration record for a UAV (in the U/1.c / 50-500Kg category) – time as above
the absolute altitude record for a UAV (in the above category) – being filed at 70,740ft (21,561m)
Launched by hand, the aircraft flies by day on solar power delivered by amorphous silicon solar arrays that cover the aircraft’s wings and are no thicker than sheets of paper. These are supplied by Uni-Solar, the world’s largest producer of flexible solar panels. The solar arrays are also used to recharge the lithium-sulfur batteries that are used to power the aircraft by night and supplied by Sion Power Inc, a leading developer of the next high energy rechargeable battery technology. Together they provide an extremely high power to weight ratio on a continuous day/night cycle, thereby delivering persistent on station capabilities.
Around 50% larger than the previous version, Zephyr incorporates an entirely new wing design with a total wingspan of 22.5m to accommodate more batteries that are combined with a totally new integrated power management system. The entirely new aerodynamic shape also helps to reduce drag and improve performance. Zephyr’s ultra-lightweight carbon fibre design means it weighs in at just over 50Kg.
Previous records beaten include:
Surpassing the previous world record for the longest flight for an unmanned air system (set at 30 hours 24 minutes by Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001).
Surpassing the Rutan Voyager milestone of 9 days (216hours) 3 minutes and 44 seconds airborne – previously the longest flight by an aeroplane without refuelling and set in Dec 1986. Quadrupling its own unofficial duration record of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008
The Japan Electric Vehicle Club has succeeded in getting an electric car to run 1,003.184 kilometers without a recharge, far surpassing the world record they achieved last year.
The group said it will ask Guinness World Records to officially recognize the journey, completed at an auto racing driving course in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, as the world’s longest.
It said the vehicle, which was equipped with Sanyo Electric Co’s lithium-ion battery system, ran for about 27 and a half hours until around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, at a speed of about 40 km per hour. A total of 17 people took turns at the wheel.
Driving the same brushless DC powered Daihatsu Mira Van as used to set the World Record at 555.6 km (345 miles) in November 2009, the team were able to reduce energy consumption to as little as 60.5 Wh/km.
The car carried the same 74 kWh battery pack as used for the previous record with most of the improvement credited to the use of an oval track instead of public roads, weight reduction (including an ultra light weight carbon fiber Recaro seat) and reduced rolling resistance tires provided by Toyo.
SANYO is pleased announce that the travel distance of 555.6 km (345 miles)by a Mira EV powered by SANYO lithium-ion battery systems has been officially recognized as the longest journey by electric vehicle without recharging by the Guinness World Records.
This trial run was provided by Japan Electric Vehicle Club (Japan EV Club) and implemented by driving the Mira EV from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan on November 17, 2009.
The SANYO lithium-ion battery systems housed in the Mira EV were designed by assembling 8320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries (18650-type) which are normally used in laptops etc. Total pack capacity is 74 kWh and with battery management limitations taken into consideration approx 50 kWH of that was used on the trip.
Record-setting vehicle
Mira EV (constructed by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club) Basic vehicle: Mira Van (Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.) Powerplant: Brushless DC synchronized motor Rated output: 14 kW Max. output: 35 kW Batteries: Lithium-ion (Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.) Total electric voltage: 240.5 V Total electric power: 74 kWh Tires: Eco Walker (Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.)@ Passenger capacity: 2
The unofficial World Record is still held by a Solectria Sunrise which covered 604 km (375 miles) on a single charge, during the 1996 American Tour de Sol.
Leaders of the Eco class for production cars on the World Solar Challenge (now known as the Global Green Challenge) have set a new 'world record' for distance traveled on one charge in a standard production Tesla Roadster of 501 kms or 313 miles. The car had about 3 miles of range left when the drive was completed.
The distance will be fully accredited by event officials in due course, and preparation for the record-setting drive included security sealing of the electric charge port door at departure and full on-road supervision of the vehicle during the drive.
The path driven was to the south from Alice Springs, in the Australian Northern Territory, and ended at a distance marker on the highway at a point 183 km north of Coober Pedy, in South Australia.
How do you drive a BEV across the Australian outback? The team has a service crew that includes a truck carrying a diesel powered 17 kw generator able to fully charge the Tesla's battery in 3 hours.
A Solar car called Power Of One (Xof1) claims to have set a new unofficial world distance record for a solar powered car when it arrived in Los Angeles on March 6th having driven over 12,5000 miles (20,000 km) using only sunshine as fuel. There is some debate about Solar car world distance records as the Solar Taxi sets a Solar car world distance record at 52,000km (32,000 mile) in December. The primary difference between the two is that Xof1 covered the entire distance with power generated by solar cells on the vehicle and has never been plugged into the power grid while the Solar taxi had a solar power plant on a rooftop in Berne, Switzerland with which they fed solar electricity into the grid and used this for overnight battery charging anywhere in the world, much like paying money into a bank account and withdrawing the money from an ATM somewhere else.
The first solar car record was set in 1982 when Larry Perkins and Hans Tholstrup drove the 4,000 km (2500 miles) across Australia from Perth to Sydney in “Quiteachiever”. That record stood till 2000 when “radiance” from from Queens University in Canada drove 7,000 km (4375 miles). The Australians retook the title in 2002 with “Aurora” and set the mark at 12,000 km (7500 miles). The Guinness World Records Longest journey by a solar electric vehicle is still held by The Midnight Sun solar car team from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, traveled a distance of 15,070 km (9,364 miles) through Canada and the United States in 2004.
The Xof1 Solar car was inspired by the Solar race cars that contest the World Solar Challenge (WSC) across Australia. The super aero shaped vehicle weighs 300kg (including the driver) and is powered by a 900 watt solar array made from 893 Shell solar cells. The car carries a 108 volt Li-ion polymer battery that can store 4 kWh while propulsion is provided by a 7 Kw (9 hp) NGM blushless DC (BLDC) axial flux wheel motor based on technology licensed from the University Northern Territory developed for the WSC. This is the same basic configuration as most current Solar Race cars.
Xof1 uses regenerative braking to extend it's range along with ultra low rolling resistance tires. These specially made tires have a rolling resistance of 2.5 kg per ton, compared to 11 to 13 for a normal car tire. This means the effort required to move a 1000 kg car on a flat surface is 2.5 kg, compared to 11 to 13 kg for a normal tire.
With a full battery the Power of One can travel 200 kms (125 miles) with a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph). The cost of building the car is an estimated $500,000. The trip has been without any reported major technical problems so far and there is no reason the solar car can not keep driving indefinitely or until further notice. The Xof1 will continue driving setting a new solar car record with every turn of the wheel.
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