Volvo’s Mean Green hybrid racer has broken the world’s speed record at Utah’s Wendover Airfield.  The truck clocked 236.577km/h (147.002mph) in a Flying Kilometer run and 153.252 km/h (95.245mph) in the Standing Kilometer.

Adjustments made the truck less powerful to compensate for the higher altitude, but don’t seem to have affected its performance.

Owner/driver Boije Ovebrink said “We knew Wendover would present challenges because it’s more than 4,200 feet (1,280 meters) above sea level. To compensate for the thinner air and help prevent overheating, we reduced the truck’s power by nearly 20 percent.”

It beat all previous records, including its own, thanks to the upgrades it underwent in the off season.  It now puts out near 5,000 pound feet of torque (885 of which are from the electric motor).

Speed records were sanctioned by and recorded by the United States Auto Club, an extension of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for motoring internationally.  FIA will likely recognize the records officially in the next 30 to 60 days.

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