The eVe: Sleek solar car’s performance is just electric

IT might look like a stunt vehicle in a sci-fi flick, but this electric car is a world record holder. It’s called the eVe, and is totally sleek.

Project Director Hayden Smith(L) crouches down beside driver Zuni Dierk in 'eVe' ,the solar powered electric car built by them and other UNSW students, at the UNSW Randwick campus. The car is thought to have recently broke a speed record. Picture David Moir 29/7/2014

IT might look like a stunt vehicle in a sci-fi flick, but this electric car is a world record holder.

Called the eVe and developed by the University of NSW’s Sunswift solar racing te am, it became the fastest electric-powered car last week by clocking 107km/h in a speed test in Melbourne.

Project Director Hayden Smith takes a photo of eVe as driver Zuni Dierk sits in the drivers seat / Picture: David Moir

The sleek vehicle was built for last year’s World Solar Challenge and is the fifth car built by the Sunswift team since it was formed in 1996.

Project Director Hayden Smith and driver Zuni Dierk with eVe / Picture: David Moir

The project’s director, third-year engineering student Hayden Smith, 21, along with fellow third-year student and teammate Zuni Dierk, 20, spent nine days travelling to and from Melbourne with a team of 20 volunteers to set the record.

The eVe is capable of travelling about 500km on a single charge — or 800km with the solar panels attached.

Driver Zuni Dierk applies some tape to the solar panels used on eVe / Picture: David Moir

Originally published as The eVe: Sleek solar car’s performance is just electric