The Electric Fox dragster brought out the goods during a recent run at the Tierp Arena in Sweden, setting a European record for an electric dragster in the quarter-mile with a time of 7.631 seconds at 171.02 mph.

The milestone achievement took place in the early part of May 2016 as driver Maris Ozolins came within 0.357 seconds of the current world record in its class held by Swamp Rat 37, which clocked in at 7.247 seconds at the Brradenton Motorsport Park back in August 2014. The overall record-holder for a quarter-mile time by an electric dragster remains Rocket, Lawless Industries’ dragster, which covered a quarter-mile in 6.940 seconds at the Virginia Motorsports Park in May 2012. Electric may not have cemented its place in the record books, but its attempt was still good enough to propel it to the third spot in the National Electric Drag Racing Association’s overall standings.

The dragster shot its up way up the standings on the back of six YASA electric motors that produced a combined output of 1,368 horsepower and 1,595 pound-feet of torque. Add that to the fact that the dragster also tips the scales at just 1,598 pounds, making for a perfect cocktail of power and performance that allowed driver Maris Ozolins to send the Electric Fox straight into the records books.

Needless to say, the people behind the car’s record-setting journey aren’t just settling for the time it earned in Sweden. Instead, it’s shooting for the biggest prize of them all: the overall record held by Rocket. Doing so requires not only breaking the seven-second barrier but also achieving a top speed in excess of 200 mph.

That goal is still there but there’s no timetable on when it’s going to be attempted. In the meantime, the Electric Fox is making another appearance soon as it prepares to tackle the imposing Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 26, 2016 where it plans to set another record for a zero-emissions dragster.

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Why it matters

I’m not well-versed on the National Electric Drag Racing Association, but I do know what an impressive record looks like. To be fair, the Electric Fox didn’t set the world record with its 7.631-second quarter-mile time, but it was good enough to take the crown as far as European records are concerned.

It’s a tremendous accomplishment and one that I’m sure will spur the team to reach for bigger goals. It’s going to have a chance to do that at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and, judging by its recent achievements, a lot of eyeballs will be on the Electric Fox to see if it can build on the momentum it has from its record-setting run in Sweden and translate it to success in Pike Peak.

Of course, the long-term goal is still to break the overall record, something the team has made clear it plans to pursue. I for one would like to see it happen sooner than later because it’s better for the sport if records like the one “Rocket” holds now can be toppled. It should give teams bigger motivation to work harder on their EV dragsters with the hope of one day becoming the standard-bearer in NEDRA’s overall rankings.

For now, though, let’s give Maris Ozolins, the Electric Fox, and the team behind them the credit they deserve. It’s not often that a record like this is set. Savor it, and then get back to work and try to shoot for the stars.