Solar powered car XOF1 has become the first vehicle of its type to traverse one of world’s longest ice roads.
The solar car arrived in the village of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada after driving 187km from the town of Inuvik via one of the longest seasonal ice roads in the world.
The journey took 9.5 hours and was by no means a comfortable crossing for driver and project lead Marcelo da Luz as the solar car isn’t heated and the road is considered treacherous even for large semi-trucks.
While temperatures hovered around -7C at the start of the attempt, conditions were favourable thanks to clear skies. The solar car was able to attain speeds of 70kmh travelling over smooth and wavy ice, but road conditions deteriorated over the Arctic Ocean stretch, forcing da Luz to slow to 30-40kmh.
A layer of ice approximately 1.5 – 2 meters thick was all that separated the car from the Arctic Ocean. Multiple flat tires occurred when ice cracks several inches wide swallowed the solar car’s wheels and spinouts became commonplace as da Luz alternated between driving on ice and snow.
The solar car departed Inuvik with a complete charge and arrived at Tuktoyatuk on what the team referred to as "solar fumes". The team will attempt a return trip to Inuvik tomorrow after recharging the solar car batteries courtesy of the Arctic Sun. The return trip promises additional challenges due to recent sunny weather creating uncertainty about ice road conditions.
The XOF1 vehicle and Marcelo da Luz are no stranger to solar car firsts. In 2008, da Luz broke the world record for distance travelled in a solar powered vehicle; covering 15,000 kilometres over 140 days. XOF1 is powered by nearly 900 solar cells delivering charge to Li-Ion Polymer batteries with a capacity of 3.996Kwh. The brushless DC motor of the solar powered car weighs just 20 kilograms.
