Record number of solar cars cross Australia

ADELAIDE, Australia, October 29, 2007. A solar car from the Netherlands has won a 3,000 km race, by less than one hour over a car from Belgium.

The Nuon Solar Team drove the Nuna4 across Australia in 33 hours and 17 minutes to win the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge 2007. Second place went to Umicar Infinity, driven by the Umicore Solar Team from Belgium, which finished the 2,999 km from Darwin to Adelaide in 34 hours and 36 minutes.

The Aurora 101 from Australia finished in third place at 35:17, while the balance of the top ten places went to cars from Japan, U.S., Germany, Taiwan, Taiwan, Australia and the Netherlands. Other countries represented in the race were Canada, France, Philippines, Malaysia, Britain, Chile, New Zealand, Wales, Switzerland and Venezuela.

A total of 38 solar cars from 17 countries were involved in this year's race, which marks the 20th anniversary of the event, which is owned and managed by Events South Australia, part of the South Australian Tourism Commission. Another 19 vehicles competed in a separate class to use biofuels and other low-carbon technologies to demonstrate those technologies.
Rules stipulate that solar cars can travel from 8 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and competitors had to camp each night where they stopped at that time.

The World Solar Challenge is the ultimate challenge in sustainable energy, say organizers, with the challenge of designing and building a car “capable of crossing the vast and imposing continent of Australia using only sunlight as fuel and to prove it, in the spirit of friendly competition against others with the same goal.”

“The Challenge itself gains increasing significance each time it is held, with rising public awareness of climate change and the growing necessity for greener transport solutions,” they explain. “The PWSC is the premier forum for solar vehicle technology and the focus for the creative efforts of some of the best companies and engineering schools globally.”

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