Built by the Netherlands’ Solar Team Eindhoven at the Eindhoven University of Technology; the world’s first family car powered by solar energy will be heading to Australia soon.
Stella, Latin for solar, can seat four people, has a boot and a range of 600 kilometres.
The unusual shape of the car isn’t just to host the huge solar cell surface area – the minimal front surface and optimal aerodynamics gives the vehicle much less air resistance compared to the average family car. The body is constructed of carbon fibre materials and aluminium to keep the vehicle’s weight to a minimum.
Stella will participate in the brand-new Michelin Cruiser Class category of the World Solar Challenge this year. Held in Australia, the course runs between Darwin and Adelaide, some 3000 kilometres. The Cruiser Class isn’t about speed but practicality and entrants will be judged based on this aspect and energy consumption.
While speed isn’t a focus, the street-legal Stella still delivers in this respect; achieving a respectable top speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
Its solar cell capacity is such that it can generate more power than it uses. Stella incorporates grid connection components; meaning once its batteries are topped up; surplus power can be exported to the mains grid.
Stella also features a touch-screen dashboard and a responsive steering system with a steering wheel that expands or contracts based on speed.
After the race, Stella will be showcased around the Netherlands.
“We would like to share our enthusiasm for technology and a sustainable future by actively reaching out to a larger audience through events, regional activities and providing information to schools,” says a statement on the team’s web site. “We want to show the Netherlands the value of sustainable energy and what options there are, as well as inspire others to create new innovations.”
An Australian challenger in the cruiser class this year is TAFE SA’s SolaSpirit III. A full list of cruiser class competitors can be viewed here.
This year’s World Solar Challenge will be run between October 6 and 13.
