The World Solar Challenge, which keys in on energy efficiency, had 42 teams racing their solar-powered vehicles in a 1,900-mile journey in Australia this past weekend.
One team managed to drive nearly half of the race ... on a single charge. According to Digital Trends, Team Eindhoven (from the Netherlands), set the race's family-car world record by driving 930 miles on a single charge. They were driving in a Stella Lux, a four-seater, futuristic-looking cruiser.
While people might be astonished to hear that any vehicle could go 930 miles on a single charge, the Stella Lux cruiser is specifically designed to generate more energy than it uses over a year's use. Digital Trends reports that the vehicle accomplishes its energy efficiency by a combination of its aerodynamic design and center airflow passage in addition to its roof, which boasts rows of solar panels installed on it.
Part of the challenge that the race laid down for its participants was to travel as far as possible, while burning the least amount of energy possible. From early reports coming back, it seems like Team Eindhoven took that challenge to heart. Each vehicle in the race was allowed to store 5 kW hours of energy via a battery with the remainder of its energy being derived by solar power or kinetic energy.
Featuring the most energy-efficient cars in the world, it will be intriguing to see what other mind-blowing results the World Solar Challenge can generate. This Sunday (Oct. 25), the race will post its final scores, which Digital Trends reports considers everything from velocity to miles driven and overall energy consumption.
