World's First Sun-Powered Family Car Takes Prize at World
Solar Challenge
The votes are in
for the most practical solar-powered vehicle to compete in this year’s 3000-km
World Solar Challenge, and the winner is the Stella, a four-seat family vehicle
created by the Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven. Unlike a traditional race, the WSC
this year judged contestants in two classes: the Challenger class, where vehicles compete on sheer speed, and the Cruiser class,
created to reward designers for developing practical vehicles that meet road
regulations and can hold at least one passenger. With enough room for three
passengers, cargo space for hauling groceries, and the ability to parallel
park, the Stella was the clear winner. It also had one more big advantage over
the competition: it was the only car in the race to have a license plate and
legal road registration.
Eindhoven students carefully developed the Stella over the
course of a year and a half, placing solar panels on the roof and rear. The
Stella has a top speed of 120 km/h and an average speed of 67 km/h. Because the
car uses only about half the power that the solar cells generate, it can
actually give surplus power back to the grid when stationary.
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