TUfast Eco, a student team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has achieved a remarkable feat by developing the longest-range electric vehicle in the world. Their single-seat Muc022 vehicle drove an astounding 1,598 miles (2,573.79 kilometers) on a single battery charge, setting a new world record for EV range. What makes this achievement even more impressive is that the Muc022 accomplished this with a 15.5kWh battery, which is six times smaller than the battery found in the current long-range leader, the 2023 Lucid Air, and seven times smaller than the battery in the Mercedes-Benz EQXX prototype.
To break the previous record of 1,000 miles that was set in 2017, the TUfast Eco team spent six days driving the Muc022 in an airplane hangar at the Munich airport. They reached the 1,000-mile threshold in four days and continued to raise the official bar for two more days until the battery was completely drained. The end result surpassed the previous record by a remarkable 60 percent.
The Muc022 is a single-seat electric car with a teardrop-like body that the team developed last year for efficient electric car competitions. For the record attempt, the car was modified to be as aerodynamic and as light as possible, and a larger 15.5kWh battery was installed. Weighing just 374 pounds (170 kilograms) and powered by a small single electric motor, the Muc022 achieves a drag coefficient of 0.159, making it the most efficient EV in existence.
TUfast Eco’s achievement highlights the constant competition between college students and mainstream car brands in pushing the limits of EV performance. Another student-built EV, called “Mythen,” recently claimed the title of the world’s fastest-accelerating EV. With young minds continuously innovating in the electric vehicle space, it’s exciting to see how they could potentially break their own records and transform the future of transportation.
Sources:
– TUfast Eco/ MCube
– Viktoriya Zayika