WORLD'S FASTEST SOLAR POWERED EV

New South Wales Engineering Students Innovated the Sunswift 7

                                        Source: UNSW Sunswift

Breaks Guinness World Record

Sunswift 7 now holds the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest solar powered EV. Incredibly it is the 2-year development project of a group of highly talented engineering students at the University of New South Wales, who set their target to break a world record.  They did it! They have secured the distinction of the world's fastest solar powered car over a 1,000 km (621-mile distance) with massive numbers of laps around an official Australian racetrack.  The Sunswift's average speed was 53 mph.  The 600 mile plus range it achieved on a single charge is unprecedented and establishes a new standard for solar-powered cars.  What is so striking is that a motivated group of highly talented and innovative university students did this.  It wasn't done by a hot new startup or by established global automakers.  

Tech Specs

Sunswift is powered by a battery powered system with solar panels on its roof and hood.  To beat the world record for solar powered vehicles, it traversed a range of 621 miles on a single charge in less than 12 hours with an average speed of nearly 55 mph.  This EV was totally designed and built by university engineering students.  According to automotive experts, it weighs 1/4 of a Tesla, has superb aerodynamic design, great efficiency throughout its drivetrain and low rolling resistance.  Two records were set at the Australian Automotive Research Center:

• Record solar race car distance on a charge at 11 hours, 52.0 minutes
• Fastest EV over 1000 km on a charge.

The EV has two key advantages:  a drag coefficient of 0.095 which is lower than the Mercedes EQXX concept's 0.17.  And, it has incredible efficiency consuming only 3.8 kWh of energy per 62 miles.  Most EVs use 15 to 20 kWh of energy over the same distance.  

Future of Sunswift

Sunswift is not a production car, just yet.  To make it work and perform at optimum levels, many driver amenities, like air conditioning, were eliminated to cut weight. As it stands now, the cost to buy it is prohibitive.  But it is a showcase of what is possible:  a long range, sustainable, zero emissions, performance solar car that future drivers can enjoy. Next challenge for the EV:  the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, which is an 1,864-mile race through the Australian Outback in Fall 2023.  For more news stories like this, Latest Innovations for Tomorrow

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