Electric vehicle travels record-breaking 623 miles on a single charge

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Japan Electric Vehicle Club broke its own Guinness World Record last weekend by driving an electric vehicle for a distance of 623.76 miles (1,003 kilometers) without recharging. The new distance record nearly doubles the old record of 345 miles (555.6 kilometers) that was set last November.

The Tokyo-based Japan Electric Vehicle Club, a group of electric vehicle enthusiasts, converted the Daihatsu Mira EV from gas to electric using Sanyo lithium-ion batteries. The record-breaking run took place at the track of a training school for auto racers in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki. Seventeen drivers took turns driving the electric vehicle during a time period of 27.5 hours, with the car traveling at an average speed of 25 mph (40 kph).

The Mira EV was powered by an assembly of 8,320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries (Sanyo No. 18650) that are normally used in laptops and other electronic devices. According to a press release, the battery configuration was similar to the one used to set the previous record.