Solar-powered off-road car finishes 620-mile test drive across north Africa [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Solar-powered off-road car finishes 620-mile test drive across north Africa

The Stella Terra was designed by students at Eindhoven University of Technology and completed trip without recharging

Daniel Boffey Chief reporter
Mon 16 Oct 2023 08.00 BST
Last modified on Tue 17 Oct 2023 02.31 BST

A solar-powered car said to be the first in the world capable of driving off-road over long distances without recharging has completed a 620-mile (1,000km) test drive across Morocco and the Sahara.

The two-seat Stella Terra, designed by students at the Eindhoven University of Technology, completed the journey across a variety of challenging landscapes as part of a final test of its lightweight frame and aerodynamic profile.

The car, which runs off the energy provided by multiple solar panels on its roof, has a top speed of 90mph (145kmph), weighs only 1,200kg (1.2 tonnes) and has a range of at least 440 miles (710km) on a sunny day.

Wisse Bos, team manager of Solar Team Eindhoven, said the technology used, complementing a lightweight frame with highly efficient solar panels, was a decade ahead of anything on the market.

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Read more: https://archive.li/ZXPWd

Original Guardian link (registration required): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/16/solar-powered-off-road-car-stella-terra-finishes-620-mile-test-drive-across-north-africa