A group of students created a car that runs on solar power. This car will participate in a long-distance race in the Australian outback, covering 3,000km (1,864 miles).
The team from Durham University will participate in a competition with a car that has three wheels. The car was designed by over 50 students who spent a total of 100,000 hours working on it at the engineering society of the university.
It can create enough power to make a vehicle go faster than 75 km/h (47mph).
Professor David Sims-Williams, the faculty advisor, said that the project was a fantastic chance to turn ideas into reality.
“He said that in order to succeed, we need to come up with creative and daring plans that not only look good on paper but also practical in reality. ”
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge begins in Darwin on October 22nd and ends in Adelaide five days later. The cars are expected to complete the course in 50 hours.
Durham’s car will compete in the Challenger Class, where cars initially have 10% of their energy stored in batteries and the rest is generated from sunlight.
The solar panel is not very big and can only provide about half the power of a hairdryer. Because of this, people have had to create vehicles that use less energy.
The car, which is called DUSC23, is crafted with light and strong materials called carbon fiber and Kevlar. It weighs about 170kg (374 lb).
The university said that an in-wheel motor doesn’t require a gearbox or other mechanical parts, and this makes it more efficient.
Mitch Flegg, who is in charge of sponsors for Serica Energy, said that the company was really impressed with the great teamwork and clever ideas from the engineers and scientists at Durham.
He said they had overcome big challenges to design and build this special vehicle from the beginning, following very precise specifications.
Bridgestone North said it wanted to help with new ideas and making transportation more eco-friendly.
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Durham University’s solar vehicle competes in outback race in Australia
