We have a new acceleration record: from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.46 seconds. And it has been beaten by an electric car

The human being has always struggled to find the limits of physics and give the best of yourself. Engineering is no exception either and speed records are as old as the automotive industry. For example, we already told you that in the 1920s propellers were used to achieve the maximum possible top speed. Only in this way did the Hélica achieve a devilish top speed of 170 km/h in 1927.

Over time, a race for maximum power and the best aerodynamics gave way, in a war that has left us with jewels such as the Mercedes T80, a sort of spaceship with which Hitler wanted to reach 750 km/h. h. His secret: a fighter engine in a body designed by and to stab the wind.

But if there are those who have sought to be the fastest in the world, in the automotive industry that of being the fastest to reach the 100 km/h from standstill. A barrier that, with the arrival of the electric car, is setting the bar in places unsuspected until very recently.

The two second barrier

In this fight to be the fastest, there is a double competition. The first, to have fastest street car of the world. Here, once again, the electric car has been basic to lower unattainable figures for combustion. Especially to break the two-second barrier, which seems insurmountable.

If we take a look at the list of 25 fastest cars in the world With which we can circulate on a road, we have to drop to fourth position to find a pure combustion vehicle. this is the exotic Fahlke Larea GT1 S12which combines a huge 7.2-litre V8 and 1,260 hp with a body that barely weighs 900 kg to reach 100 km/h from a standstill in exactly two seconds.

Ahead of this authentic beast, you have the no less exotic Pininfarina Battista (also exactly two seconds), Koenigsegg Gemera (1.9 seconds) and Rimac Fridge (1.85 seconds). Of these, the Rimac and Pininfarina creations are completely electric, while Koenigsegg has three electric motors to accompany a 2.0 liter combustion engine.

In less than a second and a half

But there is another fight, that of getting the fastest car in the world. And, here, the single-seaters and the student teams shine. The latest to set a new record was a group of 20 students from the University of Stuttgart. Time: 1,461 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standing.

GreenTeamwhich is the name of the team, has managed to recover a first place that they lost in 2016. Until then, the Germans had a record that set the bar at 1.779 seconds and that they had reached in 2015, when they surpassed a record that they had also set themselves in 2012 (then, 2.681 seconds).

The Swiss team AMZ managed to rise to the top of the rankings in 2016, when they set the record at 1.513 seconds. In other words, GreenTeam has lowered the time by 0.052 seconds. A tight figure but enough to return honor to Germanic lands.

To achieve this, they have used four engines in their car (one per wheel) that add up to 212 CV and that has allowed them to keep the set at 173 kg. The battery, of minimal dimensions to barely achieve the purpose, has a size of 7.67 kWh.