A team of Swiss student engineers has built an electric racing car that achieved an unbelievable acceleration world record. The grimsel car was quarter-of-a-second faster than the previous record time holder.
A team from the University of Stuttgart achieved the previous record of 0-62mph (0-100kph) in 1.779 seconds. However, it only took 1.513 seconds for the Swiss-designed grimsel car to hit 62mph, BBC News reported.
No other gasoline-powered manufactured car has ever managed to come close to the same speed. The racing car only needed 98ft (30m) of track to reach the record-breaking speed. Meanwhile, the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid (the fastest production car in the market), would need 2.2 seconds to achieve the stunning landmark speed.
Thirty students from the ETH Zurich (ETZ) and Lucerne's University of Applied Sciences and Arts took the task of building the vehicle which underwent a series of refinement since last year. Most of the car's parts are custom-built except for a number of components.
According to the ETHZ official press release, the key to the grimsel's incredibly swift acceleration was its four-wheel drive system designed by the engineering students. The electric racing car has an advanced traction system that adjusts the performance of the powerful motor mounted on each of the car's wheel in order to maximize torque.
In another related news, the Nissan Leaf still is the world's biggest selling electric car suggesting an increasing demand for eco-friendly automobiles.
"Nissan has been at the forefront of the electric vehicle movement since the introduction of the Nissan LEAF in 2010 and with its third generation now available, we are confident that we will retain a leading position in the ever-expanding EV market," said Nissan Europe director of electric vehicles Gareth Dunsmore as per Recombu.
Tesla Model S is not far behind as the California-based automotive company sets its eyes to an even ambitious global footing in China following the news over the company's joint venture with a Shanghai-based company. As of September 2015, more than a million electric cars had been sold worldwide. By 2040, electric cars will account for 35% of the global automotive sales a recently published study suggests.
