Ohio State electric car hits 307 MPH
The Buckeye Bullet was clocked on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats at speeds averaging 307 mph, which could set a new record if it is verified by the governing body of motorsports. The old record for an electric car was 246 mph.
"We've been at this for 16 years now and have our newest lithium-ion powered vehicle out," team manager David Cooke said by cell phone from the salt flats, about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City. "Our vehicle was capable of going much faster."
The effort to reach higher speeds ended after three runs, when a clutch that connects the powerful motor to a gearbox ripped apart. The team tried to install a new clutch overnight but couldn't get the old one off. Test runs started Monday at slower speeds.
"Now it’s time to pack up our pits and head back to Ohio!" the Buckeye Bullet team said Wednesday on its blog.
The car was designed by Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research, which is refining technology for electric cars of the future.
"They have just kicked the butt of every car company in the world," said Louise Ann Moeth, an observer who has written books on racing history at Utah's vast salt flats.