Students from ETH in Zurich and the University of Applied Sciences in Lucerne have broken the world record for the fastest-accelerating electric car. The vehicle was able to register a zero to 100 km / h time of just 0,956 seconds.

Swiss-built car does zero to 100 km / h in less than a second

The two universities broke the speed record at Dübendorf airfield in Canton Zurich on September 1. All the components on the car, named Mythen after the Swiss mountain, were developed by the students. Because of its carbon fibre honeycomb design, it only weighs 140 kilos.

In terms of power, the vehicle used four engines fitted to each wheel, producing a combined 240 watts, or 326 horsepower. To make sure the car stays on the road, technicians created a “vacuum” system that allowed Mythen to stick to the road surface as it accelerates - technology usually reserved for Ferraris and other supercars.

Video: ETH Zürich / YouTube

ETH Zurich smashes previous acceleration record

By reaching 100 kilometres an hour in just 12,3 metres or 0,956 seconds, the Swiss team smashed the acceleration world record for electric cars - which was a time of 1,461 seconds recorded by a team from the University of Stuttgart in September 2022. 

In a statement, ETH said that in the months leading up to the test, the students “overcame setbacks and had to start over and over again when developing individual components.” Engine manager Yann Bernard was quoted as saying that it “was a lot of fun to continually find new solutions with my colleagues and to put into practice what I had learned theoretically during my studies. And of course, it is an absolutely unique experience to be involved in a world record.”

Thumb and second image credit: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella