Australians will be able to grab a glimpse of MIT’s newest solar powered car called Eleanor when the team participates in October’s World Solar Challenge race across Australia. The Solar Electric Vehicle team will be driving the car across the USA soon in preparation for the big event.
Eleanor incorporates a carbon fibre body and six square meters of monocrystalline silicon solar cells. According to the team, Eleanor can be driven all day at a cruising speed of nearly 90 kilometres per hour – if the sun is shining. The battery bank, when fully charged, can provide enough energy to travel around 350 kilometres.
The AUD $380,000 Eleanor is higher than earlier solar powered cars developed by the team, which allows for a far more comfortable seating position for the driver. Even with the increased height and 30 percent greater frontal area of the vehicle, the new car has exactly the same wind resistance thanks to improvements in aerodynamic design from extensive wind-tunnel testing.
The new vehicle also incorporates wireless links so the support team will be able to monitor every aspect of the car’s electrical performance in real time during the race.
The World Solar Challenge, which has been running in Australia since 1987, is billed as the ultimate challenge in sustainable energy and the premier forum for solar vehicle technology. Teams from all over the world race their solar powered vehicles over a 3000km journey from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Adelaide in South Australia.
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