THE WHITE LIGHTNING
ELECTRIC POWERED LAND SPEED RECORD ATTEMPT CAR

Performance Analysis, Continued
We also make plots of the data which becomes more mentally useful than looking at bunches of numbers. Plots for the data in the previous table are shown here:

A quick look at the top plot tells us it will take just a bit more than 60 seconds from a standing start to reach our 300 MPH goal. It also tells that if we kept full power applied for 2 more minutes (180 seconds total) that the WHITE LIGHTNING would only gain another 60 MPH! This is because the aerodynamic drag resistance forces become more and more important the faster you go. This is also why Land Speed Record cars are always as small as possible (minimum frontal area to push through the air) and as streamlined as possible.
Notice that the bottom plot tells us that while it takes a bit over 3 miles to accelerate up to our 300 MPH goal, it would take 12 more Miles to build up that extra 60 MPH of speed.

Obviously, more Horsepower shortens the time and distance to reach 300 MPH, as does reducing the vehicle's weight. Better streamlining and less frontal area also helps a bunch!
The next page shows how we get a feel for which of these items provide the most benefit and help us decide whether or not it is worth spending more time and money to even consider such improvements. One example question that might be answered is "If it will save an estimated 100 pounds on the gross vehicle weight, is it worth it or not to spend an extra $7,500 to make the 23 foot long body out of a graphite/foam core/graphite composite instead of ordinary fiberglass??"

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