The Power of the Sun
The sun does a lot of great things for us; sunbathing, drying out clothes, giving us lights, and sometimes, for great pictures. However, solar technology has been around for quite some time and it is a great resource for many things out there. One event in particular, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is a great platform for masterminds all over the world to participate by delivering sustainable solar powered electric vehicles. Many organization these days are coping up with technology, while caring for the environment. Let’s take a look on some of these awesome solar-powered cars.
Image source: https://img.newatlas.com
Team Eindhoven bagged First Place at the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge! The car was called “Stella Vie” and is able to transport up to five passengers, using only 48kWh of electricity! The vehicle alone is able to generate more electricity that it uses. This also means, it can allow users to feed power back into the grid.
In the race category, the “Nuna 9” car by Team Nuon won first place. Travelling at an average speed of 81.2 kilometres per hour, the car overcame the cloudy skies and took an early lead in the challenge. The Team Manager, Sander Koot said they changed their strategy and driving style to cope with weather conditions that included wind gusts.
Coming in at Second place, is the University of Michigan Solar Car Team. The car “Novum” is the smallest and most aerodynamic vehicle U-M has ever built. Lead Strategist, Alan Li created a custom machine learning weather prediction model based on a system they developed with IBM for the 2015 race. Now, don’t you feel like putting up a team to create a solar-powered vehicle?
Image source: http://www.clenergythailand.com
The Arrow STF claimed third place with its practical demonstration. Team Arrow’s aim is to make the first road registered solar vehicle that is highly desirable to the general population. The team also mentioned that they have plans to complete the car by end of this year and have it on sale by 2018.