The British-made supersonic car is about to start running. It will take only 40 minutes from Beijing to Shanghai

The supersonic car "Bloodhound" developed by a British team will start runway testing at Newquay Airport in Cornwall, UK on October 26 this year. It is expected to reach a speed of 322 kilometers per hour and will challenge the world record in the South African desert at the end of next year.

The Bloodhound is made in the UK and costs 10 million pounds (about 86.5 million yuan, 1 pound = 86495 yuan). It can reach a maximum speed of 1,000 miles per hour (1,609 kilometers per hour). The air distance from Beijing to Shanghai is about 1,084 kilometers.

In fact, for the Bloodhound, the runway test at Newquay Airport in Cornwall, England in October was just a "slow" test drive. Compared with its maximum speed of 1,609 km/h, the expected speed of 322 km/h is obviously "slow running", and the maximum speed of an F1 car on a straight is about 380 km/h. One of the reasons for the "slow running" is that the 2,744-meter-long airport runway is too short to make it unable to run at full speed. In addition, because the hybrid rocket engine originally designed to be loaded on the top of the car has not been completed, the Bloodhound was only driven by the European "Typhoon" fighter engine loaded on it during this test.

The BBC quoted the design team as saying that the track test in October is to obtain some early data of "Bloodhound" to improve its performance, which is of great significance for challenging the world record in the South African test next year. The team's chief engineer Mark Chapman said that from design to actual operation, the test in October will be an exciting moment for the team. At the same time, it will also be a good demonstration platform. Chapman hopes to attract more investment to solve several subsequent problems.

The current world record for automobile speed is 1,228 kilometers per hour. After the hybrid rocket engine is developed, Bloodhound is expected to challenge the world record in two stages, achieving speeds of 1,287 kilometers and 1,609 kilometers per hour respectively.

According to previous reports, the pencil-shaped shell of the "Bloodhound" is forged from aviation-grade aluminum. The body is about 13.4 meters long and weighs 7.5 tons. The wheels with a diameter of 1.83 meters are made of high-strength titanium alloy to prevent the wheels from flying out of the body due to excessive rotation speed.

The Bloodhound is able to reach supersonic speeds because it is equipped with a new fighter engine. When the vehicle accelerates to 300 miles per hour, a hybrid rocket engine located on the roof will continue to accelerate the vehicle; the rocket engine includes a traditional rocket and a separate engine fuel pump, which allows the Bloodhound to reach a maximum power of 135,000 horsepower, equivalent to the power of 180 F1 cars.

It is understood that the runway test in October will be driven by former British Royal Air Force pilot Lieutenant Colonel Andy Green, who is also one of the developers and designers of the Bloodhound supersonic car, and will also complete the world record challenge in the South African desert at the end of next year.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.