Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Technology

Solar-powered cars streak across Australia

We checked out the world’s best solar-powered cars as they prepared to race 3000 kilometres across Australia in the World Solar Challenge

By Michael Slezak

16 October 2013

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Nuna7 streaks ahead

(Image: Nuon Solar Team)

“THIS is a live laboratory,” says battery scientist David Rand. He’s here in Darwin, capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, and the lab he’s talking about is this year’s . In it, the fastest solar-powered cars race from Darwin to the sleepy city of Adelaide in the south, hitting speeds of more than 100 kilometres per hour.

Cars making it to the end will have travelled 3000 kilometres through the red deserts into the woodlands of South Australia (see diagram). The designs, particularly a more realistic type of car taking…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop