Venturi VBB-3 ready to speed record

The Ventury VBB-3 is the most powrerful electric car in the world, with nearly 3.000 HP, designed to surpass 600 km/h (372 mph). Now this special car is prepared to to beat landspeed record set at 495 km/h.

press release:

The long process to prepare for this year’s trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats resumed in early January in the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 (VBB-3) workshop in Columbus, Ohio, USA. This vehicle is part of an ongoing project by the Venturi Buckeye Bullet racing team which began in 2009 as a partnership between Venturi Automobiles and the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research (CAR). The team’s first world landspeed record was achieved that year with a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle at 487km/h (303mph). Next, in 2010 the team returned to the salt flats with a fully electric battery powered vehicle, the VBBB-2.5 which set another world record at 495km/h (307mph).

Venturi’s partner in the project, the students at The Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, have dismantled the 12 meter long electric streamliner to examine each and every mechanical and electrical component which includes nearly 3.5 miles of cables and 2,000 cells in eight battery packs. These are the first of many steps toward the vehicle’s return to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. “Along with our partners at CAR, we are aiming to exceed our own electric FIA Land Speed Record established in 2010 with the previous model – the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5. We want to show all the potential of this very unique prototype” said Venturi’s lead project engineer Delphine Biscaye.

For Venturi’s partner, the Ohio State University, and its 25 young student engineers, the project offers an opportunity to be exposed to the realities of advanced vehicle development in the fast paced world of racing. Their experience in the development and implementation of cutting edge automotive technology provides an experience like no other in the world. Recent graduate Evan Maley said: "Working on the VBB-3 project allowed me to have a lot of connections when it came time to interview for jobs. During those interviews the VBB-3 was the biggest thing I talked about. People were very interested in the activities I have been involved in and how I managed my time between academics and working on the VBB-3"