The Australian Sunswift IVy solar car has smashed the Guinness world record for the fastest solar vehicle.
The Sunswift IVy demolished the previous record of 79km/h, hitting more than 88 km/h at a track on the HMAS Albatross navy base in Nowra.
The IVy solar car is famous for running on less energy than it takes to toast a slice of bread – about 1200 watts of power – but the Guinness record is for speed around the track only, so with the 25kg lithium battery removed from the vehicle to reduce weight, the IVy could only rely on its 1300w solar panel and decent sunshine to propel it into the record books.
“We broke the record at 10.32 this morning. We were expecting to get our peak sun at noon, so the fact we broke the record so early was a great result,” said Sunswift project manager Daniel Friedman.
“The Guinness World Book of Records adjudicators were on hand, so it’s all official. We’ve even been handed our certificate.”
Friedman said the team was excited that the car performed so well, and that he hoped the record win would raise awareness of the potential of solar power and focus on renewable energy in general.
The Sunswift IVy was designed and built by a team of University of New South Wales (UNSW) students, who usually also pilot the solar car in events like the 3000km Global Green Challenge where the car reached its top speed of103 km/h. However, professional racing drivers Barton Mawer and Craig Davis, from electric car firm Tesla were used in the Nowra attempt.
“We were confident … we only needed a little bit of sunshine and that was enough, although I think I gave the team a bit of a scare when I got up on two wheels on the turn,” Mawer said.
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