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Automotive

Grimsel claims top spot in EV acceleration wars by hitting 100 km/h in 1.513 seconds

By Scott Collie
June 22, 2016
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Grimsel on its record run
Grimsel on its record run

Instant electric torque means warp-drive acceleration from standstill, allowing family cars to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) faster than a McLaren F1. Couple that accelerative potential with determined students, and it's not hard to guess what happens next. A team based out of Switzerland has just shattered the acceleration record for EVs, hitting 100 km/h in a staggering 1.513 seconds.

The Formula Student Team from Academic Motorsports Association Zürich's (AMZ) little EV weighs just 168 kg (370 lb), and is powered by four 37-kW (50-hp) hub motors. Total system torque is a scarcely believable 1,630 Nm (1,202 lb-ft), put to the road using traction control and a torque vectoring system.

This staggering torque output punted Grimsel to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 1.513 seconds, comfortably knocking the University of Stuttgart's previous best of 1.779 seconds from the top-step of the podium after they took the record from AMZ in 2014.

The car needed just 30 m (98 ft) of runway to reach the milestone and beat the previous record on its first attempt, before refinements to its traction control system helped it reach its fastest time.

AMZ achieved its record time at a military airfield in Dübendorf, with experts watching to make sure it met all the relevant Guinness World Record guidelines.

Source: AMZ Racing

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AutomotiveElectricGuinnessWorld Records
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Scott Collie
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Scott grew up with a passion for cars and a love of writing. He now combines the two by covering all things automotive for New Atlas. When he’s got a spare moment, you can usually find him freezing himself silly in search of fresh powder to ski.
9 comments
nicho
... shattered the acceleration record for EVs, ... I think you'll find it's the record for any car.
gizmowiz
I think that record belongs to some of the fastest slot cars on earth that go from 0 to 60 in .058 seconds. These of course are held down fast to the track with incredibly strong magnets such that traction isn't a problem. These slots cars go in excess of 2,000 scale mph.
CorvetteRacer
A top fuel dragster, with an actual human driving it, will do 0-60 mph in 0.2 sec.
Nomen
On a 0-60 mph run those air foils seem unnecessary and would add weight. But on closer inspection, they appear to have a great deal of pitch and could add significant down force above 30 mph. With that much power, traction is key. I bet they had a really sticky rubber compound for the tires. For a motorcycle of the same weight and power 2.3 seconds is about the limit. I wonder what an all wheel drive motorcycle could do? I wonder how long it will be before a six wheel drive car comes along or a snowmobile with ground effect wings. If only my money matched my imagination.
Captain Danger
So what about the 1/4 mile ET and MPH @Corvetteracer That number sounds really low. 0-60 in .2 seconds = 13.75 G's v=at v = 88 ft/s 88/.2 = 440 , 440 /32 = 13.75
Do you have any link so I could have a look at the numbers?
icwhatudidthere
Google top fuel dragster 0-60 and it'll give you the 0.2 sec claim. Another one http://www.nobbyville.com/TopFuel.htm says it's more like 0.4 sec. Which would be a reasonable 6+ G's.
michel13
looks pretty still to me. Where is the video?
Arahant
after reading last few comments i went and watched a bunch of vidoes of top fuel dragsters, im seriously doubting there is any that does 100kmph in .2 seconds... even .4 doesn't seem likely unless its been done once or by one car.... but by the looks of it most are doing it in atleast 1 seconds.... which is very darn fast.
But i think based on that the fact this EV car is doing 1.5 is extremely impressive and makes me wonder how long before they start doing sub 1 second 0-60 runs. Makes me wonder at which speed can the human even handle G force wise, in sudden exceleration.
Ranscapture
I watched a top fuel hit 350 mph in about 3.5 sec. They have around 7k hp, but those engines need rebuilt after each race.
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