Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

There are some odd-looking solar cars racing across Australia now

Trevor Mogg
By

world solar challenge 2017 car
Horizon 17 from Japan
Being cooped up inside one of the cars racing in Australia’s biannual World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide looks like the most uncomfortable experience ever for those behind the wheel. You can imagine the drivers having to be lifted out of the vehicle by a small crane once they cross the finish line, their limbs having seized up somewhere south of Uluru.

Aimed at inspiring research and development work in sustainable road transport, the 30th anniversary of the 1,860-mile race kicked off on Sunday with 42 solar-panel-laden cars from 40 countries hitting the road across three classes of vehicle.

Recommended Videos

The Challenger category tends to get the most attention thanks to the cars’ often striking designs that allow them to reach speeds of just over 60 mph using only the power of the sun.

Related

This year the race organizers decided to make things a little tougher for the designers and engineers who create the cars by decreasing the permitted size of the solar collector area on each vehicle.

The favorite to reach the finish line first is Nuna9 from the Dutch Nuon Solar Team, which is aiming for its eighth World Solar Challenge win. The team says it has tweaked Nuna9’s design for this year’s event by removing its overhanging nose to reduce aerodynamic drag.

“With our successes in previous years, every year is harder to get a great result,” the team said. “This means our students have to become more innovative every year.”

U.S. participation includes the Sundae solar car from Stanford University. The team said its design aims for “reliability and safety … rather than focusing primarily on speed, paying special attention to car handling when possible,” adding that the race is “a unique opportunity to exercise our car in the most intense way possible, truly proving its mettle and testing our team at the same time.”

Racers in the Challenger class will be out to beat the fastest time to date, set by a Japanese team from Tokai University, which crossed the line with a driving time of 29 hours and 49 minutes in 2009.

Besides the Challenger class, the Cruiser category focuses more on practical designs that you might actually want to ride in for more than a few minutes, and includes at least two seats. The Adventure class, meanwhile, comprises cars from previous races and could include those that don’t quite meet the requirements for the other two categories.

The vehicles, which make several stops along the route through Australia’s barren outback, are expected to cross the finish line in Adelaide on Thursday, October 12.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations
The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

A few years ago, electric vehicles were pretty rare or cost a fortune, but with more and more of the larger car brands getting into the game, there are a lot of excellent and even budget-friendly choices nowadays. That said, the electrical network for charging your cars might not be that widespread, so instead you'll have to rely on charging your car at home. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent car chargers at a discount, so if you've just bought an EV or want to upgrade your current charging solution, be sure to check out our favorite deals below.
Shockflo EV charger — $205, was $220

This EV charger by Shockflo is a Level 2 EV charger, which offers six times faster charging than a standard charger. It delivers 24 miles with just one hour of charging, and it can act as a mobile charger you can throw in the trunk or be mounted to a wall. It has an LCD display with useful information like charging rate, voltage, and charging time, as well as LED indicator lights that lets you know charging progress and errors.

Read more
Mercedes-Benz EQG: range, price, release date, and more
Concept image of the larger electric G-Wagon

The G-Class is going electric. We already knew that Mercedes-Benz was working on an electric, small-size G-Wagon, but it looks like the company is also working on a larger G-Class SUV, in the form of the EQG. In fact, Mercedes has gone as far as to show off a concept version of the off-roader.

While there's much we don't know about what will become the production model of the EQG, Mercedes has also shared a lot about it. Curious about whether the Mercedes-Benz EQG could be the EV for you? Here's everything we know so far.
Design
Fear not -- the EQG will retain many of the design aspects of the G-Class that you already know and love but with a modern face-lift. The EQG will keep the boxy design that gives the G-Class a classic look but with some additional modern styling, at least if the concept version is anything to go by.

Read more
Rivian R2 vs. Kia EV9: battle of affordable electric SUVs
Kia EV9 GT-Line Three Quarters

The long-awaited Rivian R2 has finally been announced, and it's an excellent option for those who want an electric SUV that doesn't completely break the bank. Sure, the R2 isn't cheap -- but it's a whole lot cheaper than most other EVs out there, especially when it comes to SUVs. But Rivian isn't the only company trying to tackle the problem of the budget electric SUV. The Kia EV9 is finally available, and it too offers a modern design and a range of helpful features.

Given the fact that the Rivian R2 and Kia EV9 are two electric SUVs in a similar price range, you might be wondering which is better for your needs. That's why we put the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 head-to-head.
Design
Both the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 are actual SUVs -- not crossovers pretending to be SUVs, like plenty of other EVs out there. The two vehicles offer big, boxy designs and plenty of interior space, making them excellent options for families or those who need that extra storage.

Read more