The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has developed a solar powered car that will attempt to break a Land Speed Record that has stood for 26 years! The Sunswift team will race in the 5th generation ‘eVe solar car.’

eVe has 800 watts of solar panels on the surface of the car that charge a 60kg lithium-ion battery. Due to the car’s aerodynamics, lightweight carbon construction and a low centre of gravity, this battery storage will allow the car to go around 800kms on a single charge. It has a top speed of 140km/h. The entire car is reported to be around the 300kg mark.

The Land Speed Record calculates the average speed over 500kms using only a single charge. This means that the car’s solar panels will be switched off for the record attempt. The long standing record has an average speed of 73km/h and the Sunswift team are confident they will exceed this significantly.

The record will be overseen by the world’s motorsport governing body, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Sunswift have brought in racing car drivers, Karl Reindler and Garth Walden, to drive eVe in order to meet FIA rules.

The Sunswift team consists of around 60 undergraduate students from UNSW. Almost a quarter will make the trip to Victoria for the event on Monday 21st July (or possibly Wednesday 23rd July) to support the world-record attempt.

“The land speed record attempt is really a unique proving ground for the talents of our next-generation engineers,” said Dr Graham Doig, the project’s academic mentor.

The Sunswift team have high hopes for eVe, expecting that she will be Australian road worthy with 12months. In order to achieve Australian Roadworthy Requirements, eVe will need headlights, a completely new interior as well as some other small changes which the Sunswift team is already working on.

“Five hundred kilometres is pretty much as far as a normal person would want to drive in a single day,” project director and third-year engineering student Hayden Smith says. “It’s another demonstration that one day you could be driving our car.”

Check this video out for more general information on Sunswift and their designs.

Check back so updates and results.