The car code-named “Daphne” was
unveiled last week, at least in concept. The physical car doesn’t
exist yet. This isn’t the first time that CUER has gone for this
title, but it is the first time they are using a new kind of solar
cell, the same one that they use on spacecraft. Once the race has
begun there will be no ability to recharge outside of using solar or
kinetic energy that is generated during the race, only the most
rudimentary maintenance can be performed on the cars during the race,
including checking tire pressure and cleaning debris from the racer.
Probably most amazing of all is that the cars only start with what is
considered to be 10% of the required energy for the trip, but as the
organizers say on their website, “These are arguably the most
efficient electric vehicles.”
Along with the folks from Cambrisge,
there will be approximately 36 more teams from 21 countries that will
drive across the Australian landscape.
There will be four classes of vehicle
in the race:
Challenger Class Solar EVs: Designed
for efficiency over practicality.
Cruiser Class Solar Evs: Designed
primarily for practicality.
Adventure Class: Entry levels teams
using previously designed cars that do not meet Challenger Class
standards.
Evolution Class: Vehicles that show
that they have a significant reduction in environmental impact.
The team is confident that if they can
reach their top speed of 92km/h (57MPH), they will easily win the
race. We’ll just have to wait and see. If you want to read more
about Daphne and its creators, visit this
site for more info.
For more info about the race itself
visit: worldsolarchallenge.org
