The solar equivalent of the ‘Cannonball Run’? If you catch some bizarre machines running across the length of the Australian outback you just might think so. But the World Solar Challenge is anything but a comical entr’acte. It is the performance of a lifetime for a bunch of intrepid enthusiasts who take on the elements to prove just one thing. That solar cars and solar technology can deliver.
The vision and the objective is a bit of technological evangelism. The run over 3021 km of the Australian outback is anything but a prance through the wilderness. It is as serious a race as they come. Teams from some of the top universities and colleges queue up to take part every two years. All have put in hours and years into research and some more into practice. Some major corporations also stand with their cars as do smaller teams from high schools. A natural zeal for competitiveness and the empirical eagerness to show-off the latest developments in solar technology make for an ever increasing rooster of participants each year.
The idea for such a race came about in the mind of Danish-born adventurer Hans Thostrup. He was the first to compass the Australian continent in a 16-foot open boat. His personal and professional involvement with environmentally friendly vehicles brought forth his motivation to explore solar power. His adventurous streak culminated in the world’s first solar car, called Quiet Achiever, and he cut through 4052 km between Sydney and Perth in 20 days. That was the harbinger of the World Solar Challenge. Australia was probably chosen because of its year round sunny climate. And it itself became the precursor to many other worldwide races.
Initially the race was held every three years and later, rising popularity made it into a biannual event. 2007 saw the 20th edition of the race take place. Started in 1987, the races have enjoyed growing popularity and ever increasing speeds. The 2007 edition saw 61 teams from 19 countries. The event is demarcated into three different classes, with two classes for solar cars, dubbed the Challenge Class and Adventure Class. The third is for vehicles demonstrating exciting new fuel-efficient technologies (the Greenfleet Technology). First timers from India, Wales and Philippines are testimony to the ever growing popularity of solar car racing.
Winning the race is not just about the fastest car racing the sun. When the brightest sparks of the scientific fraternity unleash their adventurous spirits, it is also about aerodynamic designs, cutting edge materials, complex computer simulated maneuvers and ultimately – gumption. It’s certainly not a walk in the outback when you are careening down the roads at speeds in excess of 100km per hour strapped in a cabin smaller than a bathtub. Last year the Dutch Nuon Solar team clocked 90.07 km/h to take the podium in the Challenge Class. New rules more concerned with driver safety have placed restrictions on permissible top speeds.
The races have constantly shown to a skeptical public that it is possible to achieve remarkable speeds with cost effective cars. And built by amateurs too. The biennial Challenge spotlights how far solar and battery technology has come since its inception in 1987. Demonstrable technologies need little impetus to trickle down for public use. The space age has shown that. Now, in their own little way, a bunch of intrepid men and their racing machines are showing the direction towards a cleaner future.
Image: Flickr.com and Wikimedia Commons