Yahoo Autos Get a Load of the World's Most Efficient Electric Vehicle
The Eximus IV has been named the world's most efficient battery-powered rail car at an annual electric-rail-car competition in Sweden.
Team Eximus-made up of students from two Swedish universities-has broken the world record for the most efficient battery-operated car since it first entered the competition in 2016.
Sweden's annual Delsbo Electric Competition, which brings students together to build and test upgraded versions of energy-efficient, battery-powered rail cars, recently crowned a new champion.
The Eximus IV, which looks like it came from outer space, is the brainchild of students from Dalarna and Chalmers technical universities. It is able to reach 687 MPGe-the equivalent mileage you'd get with a standard gasoline-powered vehicle.
Contestants had to create a vehicle that moved six people, each weighing around 110 pounds, just over two miles down metal tracks instead of roads in order to minimize resistance.
Team Eximus was able to beat out the competition by utilizing aircraft materials to create a lightweight ride designed to move. The students also conducted wind-tunnel tests to check for ways to improve the vehicle's performance and aerodynamics.
Last year's champ, the Eximus III, used 0.657 Wh/person-km, meaning it took 0.657 watt-hours (Wh) to move a single person just over half a mile (0ne kilometer). A design from a different team last year introduced Helios, a car made of wood that featured a solar panel on its roof and was given an award for sustainable innovation.
This year, some of the cars used canvas as a cover while others used what looked like glass for the top of the vehicle and metal for the body. It's unclear what material Team Eximus used for its car this time around.
Eximus is used to victory. In fact, since the team began entering Delsbo in 2016, it has created increasingly efficient versions of its own vehicles and set world records each consecutive year.
You can catch the Eximus IV-and other cool cars from the contest-in action below.
('You Might Also Like',)
