Buckeye Bullet 2.5 Breaks Another World Record

Students from the Ohio State University’s Center for Auto Research (CAR) witnessed their electric-powered vehicle, the Buckeye Bullet 2.5, make history on August 24, 2010. TRC Inc.’s Roger Schroer drove the Buckeye Bullet 2.5, which averaged 307.7 miles per hour in back-to-back runs on Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. The Buckeye Bullet 2.5 defeated the previous international land speed world record of 245.5 mph, which was set in 1999. Roger Schroer has worked at TRC for 26 years as a test and development high performance driver, and this is Schroer’s third time returning from the Bonneville Salt Flats with a world record in the Ohio State University’s streamliner. When asked what the most exciting part about setting a land speed record, Roger’s response was that, “the true thrill comes from witnessing the teamwork involved in building the car.”

The Bullet, built by student engineers at CAR, with help from Monaco-based electric vehicle manufacturer Venturi, started its run for the record on August 23. Schroer hit a new record of 291 mph, then topped it on August 24 when he averaged 307.7 mph.

The Buckeye Bullet 2.5 is a modified version of the Buckeye Bullet 2, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle, which owns the record for its propulsion class, attaining an average speed of 302.9 m.p.h. in 2009. The major modification for the 2.5 was the removal of the Ballard fuel cells, which were replaced with A123 batteries. The purpose of the Buckeye Bullet 2.5 was to provide a testing platform for systems that will be used in the Buckeye Bullet 3.

Significant changes and upgrades are already planned for the Buckeye Bullet 3, based on nearly a decade of design and racing of land speed vehicles. The Ohio State students plan to develop an entirely new chassis and body. The vehicle will be driven by two custom made electric motors, designed and developed by Venturi and will be powered by prismatic A123 batteries. The goal of the Buckeye Bullet 3 is to surpass all previous electric vehicle land speed records.

You can learn more about the Buckeye Bullet by visiting: http://www.buckeyebullet.com/.