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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


WATCH: Solar-powered car makes record breaking trip

An electric car has made a record-breaking trip on a single charge powered by the sun.


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The solar-powered Sunswift 7 travelled 1 000km in under twelve hours to set a Guinness World Record. The car averaged nearly 85km/h while completing 240 laps of a track to represent the distance from Sydney to Melbourne.

Sunswift 7 is the latest in a long line of successful solar-powered cars developed by the University of New South Wales. Weighing just 500kg – about one quarter that of a Tesla, the vehicle boasts impressive efficiencies thanks to its aerodynamic design, the efficiency of the motors and drive chain, and incredibly low rolling resistance.

For their World Record, the UNSW team put the car through the paces at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Wensleydale, Victoria. They now hold the record for the ‘Fastest EV over 1 000km on a single charge’

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