German electric car achieves record range

The range record holder for an electric car is now a resident of Munich. A Technical University vehicle called muc022 drove 2,573 kilometers in the airport hangar on just one battery charge. This surpassed the previous record by more than 1,600 kilometers.

The students who drove the project were on the road for a total of 99 hours and took turns as drivers. The electric car achieved an average consumption of only 0.6 kWh per 100 kilometers.

By comparison, conventional electric vehicles require between 15 and 20 kWh per 100 kilometers in daily life. However, they usually also have multiple seats, a trunk and some other amenities.

• Small rims save energy: Smaller tires can save approximately 1 kWh per 100 km • Use recuperation: This is the ability to convert the kinetic energy generated during braking into electrical energy and deliver it back to the battery. Only brake conventionally if the braking power of the electric motor is not sufficient. • Foot off the pedal: Most electric cars already regenerate when you take your foot off the accelerator pedal. The strength can be adjusted. • Economical heating: use seat and steering wheel heating instead of room air heating to save energy. • Avoid short journeys in winter: Cold temperatures are especially taxing on the battery.

The record car muc022 does not have any of this. The single-seater is aerodynamically optimized all around. It has a drag coefficient of 0.159 (making it extremely slippery) and weighs only 170 kilograms. A 400 watt (0.5 hp) electric motor serves as the drive. The energy for the record ride was supplied by a 15.5 kWh battery.