ETH Zurich's aCentauri Solar Racing Team arrived in Adelaide last week, having travelled some 3,000 kilometres in just six days.
The team was racing in the World Solar Challenge, which saw 31 teams cover the distance from Darwin to Adelaide across the harsh Australian outback with the power of the sun alone.
The solar car was built with the support of logistics company Gebrüder Weiss by the aCentauri Solar Racing Team of Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich (ETH), having been developed and built by a team of engineering students.
Overcoming hurdles like a flat tire and technical glitches, an overnight effort from the engineers kept them in the race, enabling the car to reach speeds of up to 85 kilometres/hour. They maintained an average of 500 kilometres per day, ultimately finishing twelfth in the “Challenger” category.
“The entire aCentauri Solar Racing Team is more than satisfied with this result,” commented team manager Alexandr Ebnöther.
“With our Sun Challenger, we managed to brave the difficult conditions in the outback and prove that sustainable mobility is possible.”
Read: Are solar powered electric vehicles the next big thing?
Solar cars for an eco-friendly future
The team of ETH Zurich would like to go back to Australia in two years’ time to compete in the race again.
"We have learned a lot about our development in this race,” Aaron Griesser, expert in drive and control technology said.
“Now we know that we still have potential in terms of efficiency and aerodynamics, and we will use that knowledge to build version 2.0 of our car.
“Our motivation for 2025 is huge, and we will do our best to advance our vision of an eco-friendly future."
Martin Fernandes, Country Manager Gebrüder Weiss in Australia, and Sharon Young, Customer Service & Process Manager Gebrüder Weiss in Melbourne expressed their support for the project.
"We were very impressed by the young researchers’ enthusiasm for alternative drive technologies,” they stated.
“Solar mobility is capable of much more than is generally assumed. We are pleased to be the official logistics partner and sponsor of this project.
“We are happy about the great result and will continue to support aCentauri’s journey."
A growing solar car market
Dutch electric-car maker Lightyear released the first solar-powered car ‘Zero’ late last year, entering production in Finland.
The car incorporates five square metres of solar panels across its body, which Lightyear claims can add up to 12 kilometres of driving range every hour on a sunny day.
The battery can also recharge while in use, a feature that allows the car to “commute for months before ever needing a plug charge” the company says.
Perhaps one of the first of many, the solar car market currently sits at about US$329.5 million but is expected to reach more than US$4 billion by 2030 at a whopping compounding annual growth rate (CAGR) of 43.3%.
As solar panel technology continues to improve, we may see many more solar-powered cars on the streets in the next decade or so.