The
Solar Car Race
We live in a
mobile society. But the cars we drive require too much gas, plus they
pollute
the air. Eventually, the natural resources used to make gas will run out. So what happens
then? Many people think solar-powered
automobiles are the answer. To learn more about
this type of
transportation, teams from
universities and corporate organizations gather in
Australia every two years for a solar car race.
The race is called the
World Solar Challenge. Candidates for this
tournament must
design their own cars. The teams keep all their plans
confidential. They don’t
interact with
other teams because the race is very competitive. And these cars aren’t just
enhanced
and
modified versions of normal cars. They are completely different.
The cars only have room for one person and are very simple inside—they don’t even
have a cushion for the driver to sit on. These cars are shorter and much more flat than
normal cars. Most importantly, the cars
incorporate solar panels onto the outside that lie
parallel to each other. These panels are made from materials that take in
light from the
sun and turn it into electric energy. That’s how they move.
These cars race over 3,000 kilometers across the Australian
territories. The drivers have
to heed strict
guidelines. They must stop at certain
intervals to charge their batteries. And
unlike normal race cars, they can’t go very fast. They have to drive at the normal speed
limits. Although the drivers want to finish the race quickly, that is not the main goal. The
objective is to see how well the cars work under normal driving conditions.
Because of the World Solar Challenge, a new
era in car making and in driving is
beginning. People may
ridicule the solar cars because they look strange, but this is a
phenomenon that isn’t going away. Using the technology from the vehicles, car makers
will eventually create solar cars for the rest of us.