Meet the Buckeye Bullet: One of the Fastest EVs
The Buckeye Bullet electric vehicle team has set several land speed records. Here’s how they did it.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
If we’re talking speedy electric vehicles, there are some serious contenders.
The 2022 Model S Plaid sports the absurd credentials of 0-60 in 1.99 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph, making the Porsche Taycan Turbo S look positively moderate with a 0-60 of 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 161 mph. If you want fast and electric for your trips to the grocery store, you can have it.
But what if groceries were no object? This is the story of the former king of speed, the Buckeye Bullet electric vehicle, created by
engineering students
.A team built for speed
Way back in 2000, Ohio State started a team that was intended to give engineering students opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-life projects. It was called the Buckeye Bullet team, and its goal was to “push electric vehicle technology,” according to
OSU
. And it did just that.The Buckeye Bullet team has built three electric vehicles so far, all of which have beaten records. The first of its trifecta, the nickel metal hydride battery-powered Buckeye Bullet 1, achieved an average speed of 315 mph, which set a national record in 2004, says OSU.
The second one, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 from 2009, broke a different record, this one international, for both being the first land speed vehicle with a hydrogen fuel cell battery, and for being exceptionally fast for its type (303 mph).
The third one, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 emerged in 2016. It averaged the highest speed yet: 341.4 mph. Clearly, there was something in the water in Columbus. The Buckeye Bullet electric vehicle could not miss.
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The Buckeye Bullet electric vehicle comes alive
How did the Buckeye Bullet electric vehicles come to be so fast? Let’s look at the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3, so-called because Monaco-based automotive company Venturi was a sponsor.
The vehicle itself is shaped like a rocket, not a car, so any bonus points for being aerodynamic are awarded right from the start.
Inside the vehicle, explains the project leader
in a video
, four motors and eight battery packs of 2,000 lithium ion cells contribute to a 3,000-hp experience. (For reference, a Porsche 911 gets only up to 640 hp.) The batteries contribute 2.5 megawatts of power. (For reference once more, 1 megawatt of power can power 1,200 California homes.) The Buckeye Bullet electric vehicle is, in a word, unnatural. The speed test took place on a September day at Bonneville Speedway in Utah. Experienced speed driver Roger Schroertook the helm, and the Buckeye Bullet team watched as their creation zoomed through the salt flats. It was pretty darn fast.
MORE: All the New Info On the Chevy Blazer EV
A new challenge
All three Buckeye Bullet electric vehicles collected some serious hardware. But the team will have to regroup: as of late 2021, another vehicle has taken their crown. Driver Eric Ritter and his team clocked 353 mph at the same Utah salt flats, using a couple of modified Tesla motors, says
Interesting Engineering
. We’ll see how the Buckeye Bullet team responds, but one thing’s for sure—the EV speed goal post won’t hold still.
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