Student-Built EV Shatters 0-62mph Record, Leaving Supercars in the Rearview

Daniel Mitchell

13 Sep, 2023

ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella

How a hand-built electric race car from Swiss university students shattered the 0-62mph (0-100km/h) acceleration record in a mere 0.956 seconds, outpacing the giants of the automotive world.

Automotive

- electric vehicles (EVs)

- electrical engineering

- mechanical design

This article was discussed in our Next Byte podcast.

The full article will continue below.

While lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ) has somehow made it strike thrice. As they clinch the EV world acceleration record for the third time since 2014, one has to wonder: is it the seasoned giants of the automobile world or passionate students who are setting the benchmark for speed?

Having already painted their legacy on the canvas of speed by breaking the same record in 2014 and 2016, this quest wasn’t merely to reclaim their title. It was about stretching the boundaries of innovation, transforming academic prowess into tangible, ground-shaking technological feats. As Yann Bernard, head of motor development at AMZ, articulated, their venture marries dedication with the thrill of tackling real-world challenges.

A world record, obliterated

The vanguard students from ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, forming the spirited team at AMZ, have proven that when innovation meets ambition, records are not just broken – but obliterated.

Their latest electric vehicle masterpiece, Mythen, has left the world astounded, achieving a meteoric 0-62mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration world record for EVs in a staggering 0.956 seconds. To put this performance in perspective, it shattered the previous record of 1.461 seconds, which was achieved by a team from the University of Stuttgart in 2022.

This is not only the world record, but also the first time that an electric vehicle has accomplished the feat below the one-second barrier. It's also pertinent to note that it only took Mythen about 40 feet, or just over 12 meters, to break this record. The AMZ team executed their record attempt at a racetrack but astoundingly, would have only needed about half the length of a regulation tennis court to reach 62mph.

Mythen in action (credit: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)

The secret sauce behind their success

Some of the main technical factors driving Mythen's immense success are outlined below:

In-House Mastery: Mythen, a beacon of student innovation, was birthed entirely by the AMZ team – from the printed circuit boards to its chassis. This in-depth involvement at every stage ensured that each component was meticulously optimized for record-breaking performance.
Power to Weight Paradigm: At a mere 309 pounds (140 kilos), Mythen's lightweight carbon and aluminum honeycomb structure stands in stark contrast to its immense power. With its student-developed, four-wheel hub motors, it boasts a remarkable 326 horsepower (240 kW), giving it a power-to-weight ratio of over one horsepower per pound of weight. Juxtapose this with many supercars, which despite having more horsepower and added weight, don't come anywhere close to Mythen's 0-62mph time.
Aerodynamics & Ground-Effect Synergy: Dario Messerli, head of aerodynamics at AMZ, emphasized the necessity of not just raw power, but its efficient transfer to the ground. One of the main technical challenges AMZ encountered is that during the 0-62mph speed window, a traditional wing (such as those often seen on high-speed vehicles like Formula One racecars) would not generate sufficient downforce to ensure efficient power transfer. The team's innovative solution? A vacuum mechanism, acting as a gargantuan suction pad, that ensures maximum traction, alongside an underbody that also leverages ground effects to maintain unparalleled stability during its explosive acceleration.
Battery Efficiency: Mythen's battery stands at roughly one-third the size of a standard Formula Student EV. This design choice is strategic, allowing unparalleled speed without the encumbrance of a bulky battery – further amplifying its acceleration prowess.

Significance

This isn’t just a victory lap for the team at AMZ. Mythen’s success is a herald of the boundless horizon of electric vehicles. As the world increasingly leans towards sustainable mobility, such feats highlight the untapped potential of EVs.

Mythen's success also serves as a reminder to automobile giants: the next automotive marvel may not emerge from a sprawling corporate lab but from a buzzing university workshop, replete with passionate students and audacious dreams.

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Solving Automotive Motor Control for Electric Vehicles

As the number of motors in cars increases, so does the need for elegant and comprehensive control solutions.

Adam Kimmel

fromMouser Electronics

22 Jul, 2021

Automotive

- electric vehicles (EVs)

- electrical engineering

This is the fourth article in a 5-part series exploring the future of mobility. The series looks into which technologies enable rapid advancements in the efficiency, safety, and power of the vehicles of tomorrow. The series looks into which technologies are enabling the necessary rapid advancements in efficiency, safety, and power. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics, an online distributor of electronic components. Through their sponsorship, Mouser Electronics is dedicated to supporting a future of connected and efficient mobility.

Introduction

Automotive motor control is a principal concern in electric vehicles due to its potential to provide more services with reduced size motors and minimize energy consumption. At present, premium segment Electric Vehicles (EVs) are fitted with more than 60 motors, which continues to grow. The movement toward electric cars creates a myriad of opportunities for innovation as components, and parts can be updated and optimized for every new generation of vehicles. As manufacturers aim to quench the consumers’ constant thirst for connectivity, the higher amounts of functionality and automated features generate the need for an elegant and comprehensive control solution. The enhancements introduced with the 48V bus highlight the motor control challenges and the broad expertise needed to control vehicle motor types.

Types and Applications of Electric Motors

Electric motors have several relevant types. Each has its own set of applications within the vehicle. Table 1 shows four different types of motors and the vehicle application in which the motor can be found:

Table 1: Electric motor types and vehicular applications.

Brushed DC (BDC): With speed and torque proportional to the applied voltage and current, brushed DC motors are a straightforward control solution. As a result,

Protecting Autonomous Vehicle Control Circuits

Article #7 of our Circuit Protection Series: Designer engineers must incorporate circuit protection early enough in the process of vehicle electronics to avoid last-minute revisions that can delay compliance approvals and potentially compromise circuit performance.

James Colby

08 Dec, 2021

Autonomous Vehicles

- electric vehicles (EVs)

- electrical engineering

This is the final article in a 7-part series examining circuit protection. The series examines the challenges of high-speed circuit protection, as well as the many products and solutions used to solve them. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics, an online distributor of electronic components. Through their sponsorship, Mouser Electronics shares its passion for technologies that enable a safe and connected world.

Those who follow autonomous vehicle technology are usually well aware of its benefits. But the safety and convenience autonomous vehicles offer can only come if the vehicle electronics are reliable and robust to electrical shocks such as lightning strikes (limited to the AC input of onboard chargers), in-vehicle power surges electrostatic discharge (ESD). Designer engineers must incorporate circuit protection early enough in the process to avoid last-minute revisions that can delay compliance approvals and potentially compromise circuit performance. The following is a look at what’s available.

Figure 1: Of the circuit blocks in a camera subsystem, those that require protection components connect with external circuitry. (Source: Littelfuse)

Designers Have Choices

First, consider the case of the camera subsystem. Among other things, multiple cameras work together to provide depth perception and convert visual light through a charge coupled device/complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CCD/CMOS) image sensor into electronic signals sent to a communication and control circuit. Of the circuit blocks in a camera subsystem, those that require protection components connect with external circuitry (Figure 1). They typically include a Controller Area Network (CAN) transceiver, the power supply, and an Ethernet transceiver.

The camera power-supply subsystem requires protection from over-currents, high-energy transie