Future Cars - Buckeye Bullet

" This is Future Car. The recipe for extreme speed is very simple. Take a group of Ohio States students and 1 professor of Mechanical Engineering. Mix them together and you'll come up with the Buckeye Bullet and the world's electric land speed record. Soar fast, very fast."

" My name is Kim Stevens."

" My name is Ben Sinsheimer."

" I am Isaac Harper."

" Hi, I'm Andrea Barger. I'm studying Aerospace Engineering and I'm the aerodynamic design leader for the Buckeye Bullet."

" I'm Georgio Rizzoni. I'm a professor of mechanical and electrical engineering at the Ohio State University. This vehicle, the Buckeye Bullet has recently established national and international land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats reaching speed in excess of 320 miles an hour."

" The Buckeye Bullet is powered by this 500+ horsepower of 3-phase AC induction motor."

" Slide the hook back in."

" Yes."

" It's also controlled by the inverter, which converts the DC power from the batteries to 3-phase AC electricity."

" And that heap of converted AC power simply spins those wheels very quickly, 10,000 rpm's quickly."

" One might wonder why should we be going after land speed records for electric vehicles. How does this relate to the automobiles you and I will be driving at 20, 30, or 50 years from now."

" Push, push, push, push, push."

" And the answer is quite simple, if one is forced to find the ultimate limit."

" We chose the 5-speed transmission to stay within the peak efficiency of the custom motor."

" How much current can I extract from the battery?"

" In order to optimize vehicle performance and go really fast, these nickle-metal hydride batteries can be discharged in 90 seconds and take up 1/3 of vehicle mass."

" Imagine all the energy in your 1 car battery being totally expelled in 90 seconds. Now, imagine all 400 prismatic nickle hydride cells of the Buckeye Bullet doing that."

" How much can I improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle?"

" The gradual streamline curves to minimize drag."

" It also doesn't deform under the high pressures from the air passing by at 300 miles an hour."

" Say that again!"

" 300 miles an hour."

" How much can I reduce the weight or improve the heat transfer from an electric motor to allow it to give me more power."

" The carbon fiber is motored with the vacuum infusion process."

" And these are all aspects that when taken to the limit will help us improve the technology and make better vehicles for tomorrow."