SHORT STORY

Solar car race


Solar cars are the ultimate in "clean cars" since they emit no exhaust gases. Companies, universities and research institutes from countries around the world are now working on solar car R& D.
In support of such projects, timed races are held in order to provide opportunities for testing the solar cars currently under development. Notable among these races are Australia’s World Solar Challenge (WSC), Switzerland’s Tour de Sol, the US’s American Solar Challenge, and Japan’s Solar Car Race Suzuka. But most famous is the WSC: held once every 3 years in Australia (the last was October 2003), it is a grueling race that runs 3,000 kilometers from Darwin to Adelaide. The delicate test vehicles must share the Stuart Highway, which cuts across the country from north to south, with giant transcontinental trucks, and typically fewer than half the entrants make it to the goal. However, top teams are able to complete it in 4 to 5 days. The Aurora 101 won the event in 1999 with an average speed of 72.96km/h.







Nissan team at the 1993 World Solar Challenge.
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