ELECTRIC CAR Buckeye Bullet exceeds 300 mph

A local man involved in the speed record wants to set the bar even higher.
Ohio State University's Buckeye Bullet electric race car has become the first electric car to officially exceed 300 mph, and two engineering students from the Youngstown area helped make that possible.
On Oct. 15, the Bullet set a new national land speed record of 315 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, exceeding its own previous national record of 257 mph set last year, according to an Ohio State University news release.
Benjamin Sinsheimer, 22, of Canfield, a senior in electrical engineering, and Todd Rodrick, 23, of Leetonia, a recent mechanical engineering graduate, worked on the car.
Sinsheimer said Saturday he and his team intend to pursue even higher speeds in the vehicle.
"We're getting ready to set the bar higher," Sinsheimer said. "Maybe a year from now we'll be ready to go for 350 mph."
Team leader
Sinsheimer, a 2001 graduate of Canfield High School and a son of Dr. Robert and Mariellen Sinsheimer, is the electric team leader for the car.
He plans next to pursue his master's degree in electrical engineering and is interested in eventually designing vehicles.
The future for electric and fuel-cell-powered vehicles looks good, he said.
Rodrick, a son of Tom and Cindy Rodrick and a 1999 graduate of Leetonia High School, was the team manager for the Bullet.
Built and maintained by undergraduate engineering students, the Bullet is funded by the university and about 25 private and corporate donors.
Adhering to different racing rules and criteria, the Bullet set an international record average of 272 mph Oct. 13 at Bonneville, surpassing the previous 245 mph international record.
About the Bullet
The streamlined 2-ton Bullet is 31 feet long, 2 feet wide and less than 3 feet high, with a 400 horsepower electric traction motor powered by a 1-ton, 900-volt rechargeable battery system. It stops with the help of two parachutes deployed behind it.
The vehicle was driven to this month's records by Roger Schroer, manager of driver training at TRC Inc. of Marysville, Ohio, one of the world's largest independent automotive testing facilities.