The official Guinness World Records title was achieved by driver Jake Hughes of NEOM McLaren Formula E Team who competed with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship rival, Mahindra Racing team driver Lucas di Grassi, to set the world record for the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors.
The pair went head-to-head in the ‘Duels’ format used in qualifying for Formula E races to see who could set the fastest speed indoors, on just 346 metres of straight race track, using the same Genbeta car.
Hughes' fourth run reached a top speed of 217.65 km/h, winning this unique duel and officially declaring him the holder of the Guinness World Records title for the fastest indoor car ever driven.
The Genbeta car driven by both drivers to set the new world record featured a range of modifications to effectively ‘unlock’ the specifications of the GEN3 race car. Introduced this season in Formula E, the GEN3 is the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built. With a top speed of more than 322 km/h (200 mph), the GEN3 is used by the 11 teams and 22 drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The modifications to the GEN3 as part of the Genbeta project include:
- Enhanced battery power output of 400kW, up from 350kW in the GEN3, through the activation of the front powertrain kit in traction, delivering all-wheel drive for the first time in a Formula E car. The battery was charged by ABB, the title partner and official charging partner of the Championship.
- New, softer iON Race tyre compound allowing faster warm-up and better peak grip, developed by Hankook Tire, official tyre supplier of Formula E.
- 3D printed front wing endplates, wheel fins and a wind deflector with circular, more sustainable thermoplastic solutions developed by SABIC, principal partner of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, to optimise aerodynamics for enhanced straight line speed of the Genbeta.
In addition to technology innovations on the Genbeta car, Google Cloud provided generative artificial intelligence (AI) for analysis of the drivers’ runs. Using their platform called Vertex AI, Hughes and di Grassi were able to interpret real-time telemetry data to generate speed, power and grip recommendations. This gave them the ability to interact and converse with an interface to help fine tune their approach across their three attempts.
Source: FIA Formula E
