Solar-Powered Car For Families

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We’ll keep you posted on more World Solar Challenge stories as the 2013 World Solar Challenge approaches, commences, and ends. For now, check out this awesome solar-powered family car from the Netherlands!

If you’re unfamiliar with the World Solar Challenge, it’s an event where universities and research institutes create solar-powered cars and race them 3000 kilometers (1864 miles) across the hot, dry landscape of Australia. Pretty cool. This year, Solar Team Eindhoven (STE) of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is doing something a bit different than normal, as it has created a “solar-powered family car” for the race.

solar powered car for families
Stella, TU/e’s solar-powered car for families.

Stella” is an “energy-positive car” (reportedly the first in the world). It has space for four people as well as a trunk. It has a range of 600 kilometers (373 miles) and can go up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph).

Naturally, the car is extremely aerodynamic and is made with lightweight materials like carbon and aluminum.

“Intuitive driving is enabled by a steering wheel that expands or contracts when driving too fast or too slowly,” Green Car Congress notes. “STE will have the car officially certified for road use to prove that this really is a fully-fledged car.”

“The car will factor in all available information, such as weather, road and traffic conditions in determining its optimal cruising speed,” Stella’s webpage states.

Stella is competing in the “Cruiser” class. In this class, practicality and user-friendliness are the focus, rather than creating the fastest solar-powered car possible.

The 2013 World Solar Challenge is scheduled to commence on October 6 and end on October 13.


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

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