Students smash EV world record by building car that goes 1,600 miles on just one charge

A group of students have created a record-breaking electric car.

A few years ago, 70 students from the Technical University of Munich in Germany set about building an electric car which they named 'Muc022'.

The car took two years to build and was later modified by 10 additional students for another year, before being put to the test regarding how long it could last on one full charge on 4 September 2023.

The single-seater car was modified after taking part in various other electric car competitions to be as light as possible - 374-pounds - and to feature a bigger battery with an output of 15.5 kilowatt-hours.

The car first set off on its test run on 4 September at 2:28pm, according to the Guinness World Records. Although by 'set off,' we mean the car was driven around an empty hangar in Munich airport opposed to the students - known as TUfast Eco Team - heading out onto public roads.

The test concluded on 9 September at 10:02am after the car had driven for a total of 99 hours, but just how far did the car end up travelling?

Well, on a single full charge, the Muc022 was proven to last a whopping 1,599.27 miles - to be exact.

To break that down, for every one kilowatt of electricity the vehicle goes a hefty 103 miles.

And to put that into context even further, according to Energy Sage: "The smallest Tesla battery capacity (in the Model 3) will last for 262 miles on a single charge.

"The highest range Tesla offers is 405 miles for one full charge of their Model S battery."

So basically, the student-build vehicle knocked Musk's measly motor out the park.

The Muc022 prototype and the team of students were subsequently awarded the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance by electric vehicle on a single charge (non-solar).

Bryan Jimenez commented on Guiness World Record's site: "I feel it was a great accomplishent, to demostrate the potential of electromobility on future transport, to show how much power can be regenerated from recycled materials, and to show how a small group of creative individuals banding together can make more progress than large, well-funded corporations.

"I was priviledged to be one of the pilots of this world record breaking run, and though I played only a small part, I feel that the real win was in giving others a preview into the larger vision that some of us visionaries have, and that carries with it the potential to make the world a better place."

He added the battery used in the vehicle was reportedly a 'lithium-ion LiCoO2'.