Aussie Sunswift 7 solar car claims EV world record
NSW university race team hits 1000km in less than 12 hours to snare single-charge EV recordThe University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sunswift Racing Team is the new provisional Guinness World Record holder for ‘Fastest Electric Vehicle over 1000km on a single charge’.
A feat two years in the making, the all-student team’s solar-powered Sunswift 7 racer covered 1000km in less than 12 hours (11:53.32) at an average speed of 84.1km/h – some 16km/h slower than intended, but still enough to claim the record.
The result is provisional as information and car telemetry data is still being analysed by officials.
“It feels very weird to think that we’ve helped to make something that’s the best in the entire world,” said team manager Andrea Holden.
“Two years ago, when we started to build this car, everything was going into lockdown and there were a lot of difficult moments.
“But it’s been so rewarding to see the whole team come together and make so much progress and get us to this amazing point.
“It was a lot of work and a lot of hours and a lot of stress, but it’s all been worth it.”
The Sunswift 7weighs just 500kg and was plagued by a battery management issue during the run, which added almost 15 minutes to its time.
The record-breaking run was carried out at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Victoria, comprising 240 laps of the facility’s highway circuit.
Sunswift Racing was guided by former Red Bull Formula 1 team head of operations Professor Richard Hopkins, who likened the record to an F1 world title.
“During this record, the energy consumption was just 3.8kWh/100kmh, whereas even the most efficient EVs on the road today only achieve a rating of 15kWh/100km and the average is around 20kWh/100km,” he said.
“Sunswift 7 isn’t a production car of the future, since we’ve compromised on comfort and the cost is prohibitive.
“But we have shown that if you want to make cars more efficient, more sustainable, more environmentally friendly, then it is possible.”
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Related: Aussie uni students set solar car world record
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