Page 17 - The Lotus (Nov-Dec 2020)
P. 17
Guest Column
Breaking Boundaries…still
-RONAN GODINHO (11C)
Most people say that the future of the and it almost seemed impossible, till
automobile industry is electric the end of 2019. In September 2019,
drivetrains. Many automakers like Bugatti, the famous Volkswagen
Tesla and Rimac are examples of this. owned hypercar company which was
They make cars that are powered by known for building some of the
big lithium-ion batteries. These cars fastest cars in the world, broke the
make massive amounts of power. An speed barrier of 300 miles per hour,
example of this is the new Tesla which had been the aim of many
Model S Plaid Edition which makes automobile manufacturers, with their
1100 horsepower but at the same time special edition Bugatti Chiron 300
is a five-door sedan which you can plus edition which clocked a top
use on a normal road as a family car speed of 304 miles per hour. It was a
too. However, it doesn’t stop there, huge feat for everyone in the
these cars are also very safe because automobile industry. However, on
th
their batteries are positioned at the September 19 , 2020 their record was
bottom of the chassis which means taken away from them by American-
that all their weight is at the bottom based small manufacturer SSC, with
making the cars very stable and since their brand new 1750 horsepower
the center of gravity is so close to the SSC Tuatara hypercar which clocked
ground, they also have a lot of grip. a staggering 331 miles per hour,
So yes, electric cars will have a lot of hence beating the Bugatti by a
advantages besides being a lot better staggering 27 miles an hour! I know
for the environment but that does not that someday electric cars will beat
stop petrol from continuing to stagger this speed record but considering the
everybody. Petrol power has already fact that a combustion engine, which
broken so many barriers like the 200 is a technology that has been used
miles per hour barrier, the 1000 since 1885, when Carl Benz made the
horsepower barrier and the 250 miles world’s first petrol- powered car,
per hour barrier, but there was one could accomplish such an amazing
barrier it was yet to break, and that feat, I’d consider this another
was the 300 miles per hour barrier. boundary broken.
Many companies have been trying to
break this barrier for over ten years
Photograph: Aryan Khaunte, 11 A (Guest Contributor)
