By . Louise Cheer . A team of University of New South Wales students have broken a 26-year-old world record for speed, which would make their solar car the fastest electric vehicle to travel 500km on a single battery charge. The car, which was built by Australia's top solar car racing team - UNSW's Sunswift, was able to travel at an average speed of more than 100km/h, leaving the previous world record of 73km/h in the dust. But it is not official yet until the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world motorsports' governing body, gives it the green light of approval. UNSW's Sunswift solar car racing team set a new world record for speed with their solar car on Wednesday . It has solar panels on top of its roof and hood to charge the 60kg battery inside . The world record was broken on a 4.2km circular race track in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne - in Victoria at the Australian Automotive Research Centre on Wednesday afternoon. The vehicle to smash the record, eVe, was the fifth one built and raced by Sunswift since the team was founded in 1996. One of the professional drivers who was involved in the world record attempt, Garth Walden, relished the rare opportunity. 'As a racing driver you always want to be on the podium and it's not everyday you get to break a world record,' he said. 'I really enjoyed hanging out with the team and being part of history.' The car, eVe, was built and designed by a group of about 60 undergraduate engineers . It took place at a track in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne - in Victoria at the Australian Automotive Research Centre . Professional drivers got behind the wheel to get involved in the record attempt on the 4.2km racing track . Project director Hayden Smith - a third-year engineering student - was jubilant about breaking the record. 'This record was about establishing a whole new level of single-charge travel for high-speed electric vehicles, which we hope will revolutionise the electric car industry,' he said. The last time an FIA world record was broken in Australia was in April 1984 by a production-based, petrol-engine sedan, and the most recent Australian record was set in March 1994 by Rosco McGlashan in a jet-powered vehicle. But the Sunswift team are no strangers to setting records. They have broken records for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney and a Guinness World Record for the fastest solar car. But the Sunswift team - which was established in 1996 - is no stranger to breaking world records . The team has also broken the record for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney . The last time an FIA world record was broken in Australia was in April 1984 by a production-based, petrol-engine sedan . And soon, they hope to take the record-breaking car to the streets of Sydney, expecting to meet Australian road registration requirements within as little as one year and industrial designers from UNSW Built Environment have also been enlisted to rework the car's interiors in preparation for its application for road-legal status. The team believes Wednesday's performance showed it was ready for day-to-day use. Its zero-emission solar and battery storage systems makes it 'a symbol for a new era of sustainable driving'. 'Five hundred kilometres is pretty much as far as a normal person would want to drive in a single day,' Mr Smith said. 'It's another demonstration that one day you could be driving our car.' The solar panels on the car's roof and hood to charge a 60kg battery, but the panels were switched off for the record attempt - meaning the car ran solely on battery charge. Almost a quarter of the Sunswift team – which comprises 60 undergraduate students – made the trip to Victoria to support the world-record attempt.
It travelled more than 100km/h breaking the previous record of 73km/h .
The record was set on a racetrack in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne .
The car has solar panels on the roof and hood which charges the battery .
UNSW's Sunswift car racing team built the fifth generation car, eVe .
The record will become official when it is approved by the FIA .
By . Louise Cheer . A team of University of New South Wales students have broken a 26-year-old world record for speed, which would make their solar car the fastest electric vehicle to travel 500km on a single battery charge. The car, which was built by Australia's top solar car racing team - UNSW's Sunswift, was able to travel at an average speed of more than 100km/h, leaving the previous world record of 73km/h in the dust. But it is not official yet until the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world motorsports' governing body, gives it the green light of approval. UNSW's Sunswift solar car racing team set a new world record for speed with their solar car on Wednesday . It has solar panels on top of its roof and hood to charge the 60kg battery inside . The world record was broken on a 4.2km circular race track in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne - in Victoria at the Australian Automotive Research Centre on Wednesday afternoon. The vehicle to smash the record, eVe, was the fifth one built and raced by Sunswift since the team was founded in 1996. One of the professional drivers who was involved in the world record attempt, Garth Walden, relished the rare opportunity. 'As a racing driver you always want to be on the podium and it's not everyday you get to break a world record,' he said. 'I really enjoyed hanging out with the team and being part of history.' The car, eVe, was built and designed by a group of about 60 undergraduate engineers . It took place at a track in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne - in Victoria at the Australian Automotive Research Centre . Professional drivers got behind the wheel to get involved in the record attempt on the 4.2km racing track . Project director Hayden Smith - a third-year engineering student - was jubilant about breaking the record. 'This record was about establishing a whole new level of single-charge travel for high-speed electric vehicles, which we hope will revolutionise the electric car industry,' he said. The last time an FIA world record was broken in Australia was in April 1984 by a production-based, petrol-engine sedan, and the most recent Australian record was set in March 1994 by Rosco McGlashan in a jet-powered vehicle. But the Sunswift team are no strangers to setting records. They have broken records for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney and a Guinness World Record for the fastest solar car. But the Sunswift team - which was established in 1996 - is no stranger to breaking world records . The team has also broken the record for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney . The last time an FIA world record was broken in Australia was in April 1984 by a production-based, petrol-engine sedan . And soon, they hope to take the record-breaking car to the streets of Sydney, expecting to meet Australian road registration requirements within as little as one year and industrial designers from UNSW Built Environment have also been enlisted to rework the car's interiors in preparation for its application for road-legal status. The team believes Wednesday's performance showed it was ready for day-to-day use. Its zero-emission solar and battery storage systems makes it 'a symbol for a new era of sustainable driving'. 'Five hundred kilometres is pretty much as far as a normal person would want to drive in a single day,' Mr Smith said. 'It's another demonstration that one day you could be driving our car.' The solar panels on the car's roof and hood to charge a 60kg battery, but the panels were switched off for the record attempt - meaning the car ran solely on battery charge. Almost a quarter of the Sunswift team – which comprises 60 undergraduate students – made the trip to Victoria to support the world-record attempt.
500km on a single battery charge. The car, which average speed of more than 100km/h, leaving the previous world record of 73km/h in the dust. But it is not official yet until the Fédération light of approval. UNSW's Sunswift solar car racing team set a new world record for speed with their solar car on Wednesday . It has solar panels on top of its roof and hood to charge the record, eVe, was the fifth one built and raced by track in Geelong - south-west of Melbourne - in