Motorsport: Swiss world record for electric runabout

The Dübendorf airfield suited the successful world record attempt of the Academic Motor Sports Association Zurich (AMZ). Where jets used to take off after kilometers of run-up, the electric racing car "grimsel" developed by 30 students from ETH Zurich and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts raced through the light barrier after 30 meters in 1.513 seconds. Then exactly 100 km/h were reached and with it the targeted acceleration world record. The previous record, set by a team from the University of Stuttgart, was 1.779 seconds.

Sophisticated traction control regulates performance
Thanks to the use of carbon fiber materials, "grimsel" weighs only 168 kilos. Four wheel hub motors developed in-house provide 200 hp of power and 1700 Nm of torque. A sophisticated traction control system regulates the power output to each wheel individually. Sébastien Buemi, who has the best chance of winning the FIA Formula E world championship title the weekend after next in London, could be jealous of this. With his factory Renault, the racing pro from Vaud needs 2.9 seconds for this sprint. Although the FE race cars produce 200 kW (270 hp) in qualification mode, they also weigh 888 kilograms (including the driver) and their dimensions are more comparable to a race car.

Many successes in the international Formula Student
The next goal is to successfully defend the title in Formula Student, which is held at various race tracks around the world. "grimsel" was the most successful AMZ racer to date with three overall victories in 2014. The successor model "flüela", which has been in use since 2015, features numerous structural, mechanical and aerodynamic innovations as a direct result of drastically adjusted regulations.

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Photos: ETH Zurich