Student-built electric car sets speed mark

PROVO, Utah, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- An electric car designed and built by engineering students at a Utah school set a world land speed record for its weight class of 155.8 mph, officials said.

The speed was the average of two runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats for the "Electric Blue" car built as a seven-year project by more than 130 Brigham Young University students, a BYU release said Tuesday.

Recently retired engineering professor Perry Carter spearheaded the long-term project.

"This is a wonderful closure to 31 years of teaching at BYU and many projects," Carter said after the record was certified. "But this is the one that takes the cake. I'm done."

The aerodynamic vehicle used lithium iron phosphate batteries to achieve speeds as high as 175 mph on one of its runs.

"Electric Blue" competes in the "E1" class, which includes cars weighing less than 1,100 pounds.

The project was a great way for student to put classroom learning to use, Carter said.

"Students who study music need to give concerts, students who study dance need to perform, and students who study engineering need to engineer things and compete to see how they work," he said. "Experiential education is a key aspect of every program."