A team of students from the ETH Zurich have set a new world record by racing a car from 0 to100 km/h in 1.513 seconds. They successfully broke the previous acceleration record for electric cars. The students are supported by the BMW Group.
Students of the ETH Zurich and Lucerne University developed the car and set the record during the preparatory phase of the Formula Student. The car reached a speed of 100 km/h within a distance of less than 30 meters on a military airbase near Zurich, breaking the world record of 1.779 seconds. Thanks to the use of carbon fiber materials, the car weights a mere 168 kilograms and features four self-developed wheel hub motors transferring 200 hp of power to the tarmac via four-wheel drive technology.
The team is ideally prepared for the forthcoming Formula Student Germany taking place on the Hockenheimring from 8 to 14 August 2016. For seven days, 115 teams from more than 25 nations will be competing against each other in their racing cars following a long period of development. In addition to bolides with combustion engines, 40 racing cars featuring an electric drive system will also be contesting for victory, which cannot be achieved by speed alone. Design, cost budgeting and the business model must also convince the jury of experts from industry and commerce.
Last year, the AMZ Racing Team from the ETH Zurich, which is supported by the BMW Group, was awarded second place in the overall ranking, making it one of the potential candidates for the podium this year, too.
Student teams sponsored by BMW received financial support, advice from BMW engineers and access to manufacturing technologies as well as comprehensive support in building and designing their self-developed racing cars. Employees acting as mentors are available to the students during the entire period.
