Previous electric car range record already decimated...

Not even so long as one month ago a team of two drivers recorded 313 miles in a Tesla Roadster to set a new electric vehicle distance record.

Clearly, members from the Japan EV Club (Japanese site) thought they could do better, and have gone 44 miles better in a Daihatsu Mira EV van. Sanyo provided the batteries and the whole lot is transmitted through the Mira's standard five-speed transmission. Even though conditions look less than ideal and the trip from Tokyo to Osaka isn't the flattest and most EV-friendly journey in the world, the team benefited from the Mira's light weight, a large battery and some low rolling-resistance Toyo tyres. The journey took 13 hours, and if you can read Japanese, there's probably more information on the team's own website.

Place your bets on how long it takes for another team to break the record again... News via AutoBlogGreen and Car Watch (Japanese site).

(Image: Car Watch)