Solar Car Challenge

[www.recumbents.com]

The Solar Car Challenge we held recently in Australia. Participating were college and high school teams from around the world. This year it was won by a Japanese team, who averaged around 60MPH. Lots of cool electric powered vehicles were present.

Here, teams tilt their solar arrays to get the maximum light in the morning before racing:

A nice vehicle, reminiscent of the Aptera:

Japanese team driver in the cockpit:

Just like our little electric bikes, some vehicles are fantastically refined, and some are... less so.

More info and pictures here: http://globalgreenchallenge.com.au

-Warren.

 

[voicecoils]

A nice vehicle, reminiscent of the Aptera:

All of Aptera's design cues came from solar cars of the past. The World Solar Challenge (WSC) has been running every two years since 1987.

In recent years they've further reduced the allowable photovoltaic array size because all of the top cars were breaking the speed limits (110 km/h).

 

[www.recumbents.com]

Hey VC, you are correct sir. I think this was the human powered original design:

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/londry/default.htm

-Warren.

 

[chaster]

Hey VC, you are correct sir. I think this was the human powered original design:

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/londry/default.htm

-Warren.

Are you implying that solar cars are designed as knockoffs of the HPV's? If that is what you are implying, sir, you are incorrect. That is similar to saying that airplanes are designed from hang gliders. They both utilize aerodynamic principles, but the design parameters are far different. I worked on the Univ. Mich. solar racer back in '90-91 and also met and talked with the engineers & designers of the GM Sunraycer. I assure you that they did not copy any HPV in their design.

 

[voicecoils]

Hey VC, you are correct sir. I think this was the human powered original design:

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/misc/londry/default.htm

-Warren.

Are you implying that solar cars are designed as knockoffs of the HPV's? If that is what you are implying, sir, you are incorrect. That is similar to saying that airplanes are designed from hang gliders. They both utilize aerodynamic principles, but the design parameters are far different. I worked on the Univ. Mich. solar racer back in '90-91 and also met and talked with the engineers & designers of the GM Sunraycer. I assure you that they did not copy any HPV in their design.

Nah, he's saying that HPV is what Aptera took it's design cues from.

Solarcars bodies are typically designed as a neutral wing -- an aerofoil with zero lift, zero downforce and a very small frontal area. As a consequence a big truck going the opposite direction can blow them off the road but, they are very efficent :lol: