Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Solar Electric Vehicle Team, the oldest such student team in the US, has just finished construction of its latest high-tech car and unveiled it to the public last Friday.
With six square meters of monocrystalline silicon solar cells and improved electronic systems and design, the new car, called "Eleanor," can run all day on a sunny day at a steady cruising speed of 55 mph.
In October, the car will compete in the World Solar Challenge race across Australia with a dozen university team members, where they hope to prove that the car is capable of undertaking the 3000km journey from tropical Darwin in the Northern Territory to Adelaide in South Australia using only sunlight as fuel. In preparation for the event the team plans to drive the car across the United States over the summer.
The new vehicle is also equipped with wireless links so that the lead and chase vehicles during the race will be able to monitor every aspect of the car's electrical performance in real time. Its batteries have enough energy, when fully charged, to get the car from Boston to New York City without the need of sunlight.
David Sanchez, a senior in Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics who is the aerodynamics leader for the team, has been working on the project for more than two years. "There's no better project for a young guy who wants to do aerodynamics, all the way from conception to design to construction," he says.
Top image: Chris Pentacoff, MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team.
Source: MIT
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