Thirty-two cars, seventies countries and a distance of 3000 kilometers! Yes, we are talking about a world car race, but this car race is far, far different from regular car races. Can you guess, why and how?
Well, all these cars are powered by solar power. Believe it or not, all these cars participating in this big feat resemble huge insects, solar planets and spaceship!
The World Solar Car Race was kicked off this Sunday from Darwin and will finish at Adelaide on Saturday. These solar-powered and fuel-efficient cars will travel through Australia’s tropical rainforests, desert and coastal plains, all in the name of environment. Hence, this car race is also called the Global Green Challenge.
These cars are mainly designed by the engineering students from across the world. Each team comprises of four drivers who take turns to drive the cars. Starting at 8 am daily, the drivers would stop and put up camp at 5 pm daily before continuing the race the next day.
As usual, this time too, the spectators will see some unique cars in the race. There is this distinctive car Sunswift IV form Australia’s University of New South Wales. This solar car is a three-wheeled, carbon fibre machine, which can reach a top speed of 115 km an hour using just 1,300 watts, the same power it takes to toast two slices of bread! Unbelievable, huh?
A team of Dutch from Delft University was expected to start out as the race’s favourite after taking home the prestigious Silver Sun trophy for the last four races, who also set a record in 2005 with an average speed of 102.75 km per hour.
The Global Green Challenge for the first time will also have a second category, the Eco Challenge. The Eco Challenge will flag off seventeen cars from ten manufacturers to prove their fuel efficiency. These eco-friendly cars from the ten manufacturers are already in showrooms or soon-to-be on sale. The Eco Challenge will include automobiles like the fully electric sports car Tesla and the Ford Kia. Besides, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Skoda, Suzuki, Holden, and HSV are also a part of this Eco challenge.
