The project by a group of students from two Swiss universities culminated in a new Guinness record.
The Grimsel, as it is known, is an electric model built about two years ago by a team of three dozen students from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University of Arts and Applied Science in Lucerne. Originally developed for the Formula Student, an international university competition, the Grimsel had already broken the speed record in 2014, but was eventually surpassed last year by a model from the University of Stuttgart.As such, the group of students decided to try to recover the lost record in 2015. At the air base in Dübendorf, Switzerland, the Grimsel was able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 1,513 seconds, over a distance of just 30 meters, the which constitutes a new Guinness record – 0.2 seconds faster than the previous one.
SEE ALSO: Shopping guide: electrics for all tastes
But what is the secret to achieving such speed in such a short amount of time? In addition to 200 hp of power and almost 1700 Nm of torque, the electric single-seater weighs just 167 kg thanks to a body made of carbon fiber (including the rear spoiler). According to the student team, a small on-board computer individually controls the traction of each wheel. Watch the world record below:
