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A solar-powered car, designed and built by students at UNSW (University of New South Wales), in Sydney, Australia, entered the Guinness World Records, the popular Book of Records, after covering 1,000 km, in less than 12 hours on a single charge.
Sunswift 7 completed the challenge on the Australian Automotive Research Center test track, located in Wensleydale, in 11 hours, 52 minutes and 8 seconds, equivalent to an average speed of almost 85 km. This result placed it as the 'fastest EV over 1,000 km on a single charge'.
According to UNSW, the test was complete when the vehicle completed 240 laps, corresponding to the distance from Sydney to Melbourne, to break the record.
In total, the vehicle weighs 500 kg, around a quarter of what a Tesla, and is efficient thanks to its aerodynamic design, the efficiency of the engines, the entire drive chain and rolling resistance.
According to Professor Richard Hopkins, team leader, during this record-breaking run, energy consumption was just 3.8 kWh/100 km, while the most efficient EVs (electric vehicles) on the road today only achieve a 15 kWh rating. /100 km and the average is around 20 kWh/100 km.
“I was working in Formula 1 (I won four world titles as head of operations at Red Bull) and no one thought we would be driving F1 cars on the road in five or 10 years. But the technology they use there really pushes the limits and some of that filters down to regular vehicles. That’s what we’re trying to do with Sunswift and what this world record shows is possible,” he highlighted.
“Let's remember: these are not the highest paid professional car manufacturers in Stuttgart who work for Mercedes. This is a group of very intelligent amateurs who have taken all the ingredients and put them together in a brilliant way.”
Details about Sunswift 7
The basis of the Sunswift 7 is the body that prioritizes aerodynamics, made of carbon fiber and which has a total area of 4.6 m² of attached solar panels. The engines are installed in the rear wheels and give the car the power to accelerate up to 140 km/h. The batteries, in turn, are 38 kWh.
