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This week 32 solar powered cars from 17 countries have converged on Australia’s outback to compete for the title of World Solar Car Champion. The race, the “World Solar Challenge” takes place every two years – giving teams ample time to raise money, design, build and test their dream vehicles. It’s a unique event and there are 5 reasons to love every part of it.
1. Sexy
The silhouette of a solar car has always held the public’s
fascination. The cars are so “space-age” and other-worldly they don’t
seem real. Their movement is powered purely from the energy of the sun
– a wheeled creation that allures through it’s beauty and it’s brains.
2. Sophisticated
The top teams from around the world have one thing in common. They
realize from the outset that a successful solar car program requires a
true blend of disciplines. Take for example the University of Michigan solar car program. Their program (see video and original post),
involves a core of about 40 students with input from a total of 100-200
students. It’s a truly interdisciplinary group with 50% engineering
and 50% business, PR and support personnel. Solar cars are expensive,
demanding the highest quality components, so the business side has to
raise huge amounts of money to allow the engineers to implement their
designs. Teamwork is paramount and these students are learning that
lesson well.
3. Smart
The competitors consist primarily of major Universities from around the
world. The competition is fierce, but imbued with the collegiality and
sharing that most of us can only remember whimsically from our college
days. This is what makes solar car
racing so intriguing. The sense of higher purpose, learning for
learning sake, and genuine concern for others welfare all ties in with
the common goal of seeking clean and efficient sources of energy. In
an increasingly hostile world, solar cars represent intellectual energy
in its purest form.
4. Scary
Solar car racing is dangerous. Driver safety is of paramount interest
and all cars are fitted with state of the art roll cages. Still, the
sexy silhouette comes at a cost. A car that can reach speeds of 87
miles per hour using only the energy of a hairdryer, must be trimmed of
all excess weight. The “shell” of the car is precisely that – a thin
fiberglass sheet whose primary purpose is to house the solar array on
it’s surface. The wheels are slimmed down to reduce wind resistance,
making them prone to blow outs. Unfortunately, crashes are all too
commonplace. When you see the wreckage of a solar car crash you quickly realize how vulnerable drivers can be.
5. Sobering
This is a race we all have to win.
As the concern over climate change builds and the price of precious fossil fuels gyrate on the world markets, we are increasingly dependent on innovation for our energy security. The World Solar Challenge is a catalyst for some of the planets brightest minds to think outside the box and apply those ideas to the real world. These cars seem futuristic, and they are, but the future requires that we speed up our quest for cleaner energy cars, buses, planes and self-sufficient homes. The students that have dedicated their last two years to these solar car projects all deserve our thanks, respect, and admiration for their advancement of technologies that will indeed affect how we live in the years to come.
Note: dasolar.com is a proud sponsor of the Michigan solar car, MIT solar car, and the Berkeley solar car. Thank you for your creativity!
Race Updates: Follow our Twitter stream for updates on the race. As of this writing, the Michigan solar car was in 2nd place and MIT in 6th after 1 day of racing. Berkeley did not make the trip to Australia.
