The Buckeye Bullet is on its way home from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah after attempting to break its own national speed record. Last week’s annual Speed Week saw Ohio State students try to surpass their old mark of 257 mph.
Driven by Roger Schroer, the machine reached speeds of 308.317 mph in a qualifying timed mile on August 16, which is the fastest timed mile ever recorded.
After its 300 mph first run, the Bullet encountered a mechanical problem. The differential was in need of a replacement and the part had to be shipped in from the United Kingdom, said adviser Giorgio Rizzoni. The malfunction forced the crew to end the run.
Rizzoni said the Bullet is one of only 54 other teams to break the 300mph barrier and the first-ever electric vehicle to do so.
“For the first time ever in history, someone in an electric automobile went over 300 miles per hour,” Rizzoni said. “That someone was from Ohio State University.”
The car is built and maintained by a team of graduate and undergraduate students in engineering. The all-electric vehicle is 31 feet long, two feet tall and 30 inches wide.
October will bring another challenge for the Bullet when the team will travel back to Bonneville and attempt to break the world speed record at the World Finals. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile world land speed record stands at 245 mph and dates back to 1999, according to the FIA Web site.
The Buckeye Bullet holds the U.S. land speed record for electronic vehicles at 256.894 mph, which was set October 2003.
“Ohio State is the only university that has an electric car like the Bullet,” said Gina Langen, spokeswoman for Engineering Communication. “There have been different racecars throughout the years. The Bullet gets a lot of attention at Bonneville.”
Several student teams work on a variety of projects in the College of Engineering, including the Buckeye Bullet. All the students who went to Bonneville were undergraduate students.
“The team is all undergraduate students,” Rizzoni said. “It is a neat accomplishment. There are teams of professionals that do this same thing and our undergrads are doing it.”
