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90 MPH Solar Car Arrives

 
1,226 views Feb 28, 2009
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Solar cars at this point are mostly science/engineering experiments and are not for public consumption.  However the progress they have made over the years since MIT first entered competition in 1987 is remarkable.

The latest tenth iteration vehicle from MIT is capable of hitting 90 MPH, though it is likely the driver will become too frightened to persist at that speed.  The flat disc-shaped three wheeler called Eleanor will be entered in a 2000 mile race across the Australian outback, called the Word Solar Challenge, this being the tenth year of the race.

This vehicle has 64-1/2 feet of solar cells that are capable of producing 1200 watts that feeds into a 6 kwh lithium-ion battery pack. There is a 10 hp electric motor attached to one of the wheels.  The car weighs just under 500 pounds.

It is expected to keep at around 55 MPH throughout most of the competition despite its remarkable top speed.

Source (WIRED)





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Comment (1)

  1. By Statik Posted: 2/28/2009 10:06am PST

    "solar"

    "teh Word Solar Challenge"
    -all the excitement of d00d speak coupled with solar power, hehe (couldn't resist)
    I enjoy scientific dalliance's from main stream like this quite a bit...thanks for the link.
     
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