Eco Factor: New electric racecar sports lightweight carbon fiber body.
Brigham Young University is on a quest to set a speed record for the E-1 class and its partner to fulfill the dream is an electric streamliner. Unveiled recently, the special racecar sporting lightweight carbon fiber body reached a top speed of 139 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats this month. After nearly six years of designing and building, the over a hundred student team was proud to have a fast, quite and green car that has the ability to turn heads.
Powered by 880 lithium ion batteries, BYU’s new electric racecar features slender shape and enclosed wheels that help in reducing air resistance. In order to create a lightweight motor, the team stripped down and rearranged dozens of Dewalt cordless drill battery packs. Since the car is designed for racing, the rubber tires that are prone to expanding and exploding at high velocities are replaced with solid aluminum rear tires.
The car has a small, rugged computer located at the back, which serves up a webpage that functions like a digital dashboard, displaying information about the car’s current speed, throttle position and voltage to anyone with a computer in range. Offering a turning radius of 600 feet compared to the turning radius of 35 feet of average cars, this electric streamliner offer great safety. The team aims to a top speed achieve of 200 mph. Let’s hope the team succeeded in its mission and give us some spectacular action-packed race to watch.
Via: Physorg
