![]() The University of Michigan team is trying to see if they can work around these limitations and still get decent times. To make the whole race better for the environment, all teams must use cleaner silicon cells. While gallium-arsenide cells produce more electricity, that kind of solar cell is worse for the environment than more common silicon cells. This puts everyone on the same level playing field.Īnother thing the WSC rules require this next race is the use of more environmentally friendly solar cells. So, the WSC rules now force all teams to at least build their car to fit a 6’4″ dummy before the race, even if they use shorter drivers. ![]() Making the car smaller in turn means better efficiency, which means they get an edge on other teams. In many cases, solar car teams have opted to take a page out of horse racing, and use their most petite team members for drivers to save on both weight and on space. Next year’s World Solar Challenge forced teams to tackle two real-world concerns for vehicles: fitting a wider variety of humans, and taking care of the environment. The other reason to follow these cars is that sometimes they really do come up with something interesting and innovative that finds its way into future EVs. They not only learn how to design, build, and use novel vehicles in the real world, but they also learn about all of the real-world challenges, like limited funding, design limitations, supply chain challenges, and more. First off, they’re training the future of EV designers and engineers, as we explain more in this article. The challenge is how fast the vehicles can go powered only by the sun on their backs, and with today’s solar technology, the answer is always “not very fast.”īut, there are a couple of important reasons to follow these races. ![]() The cars generally don’t go very fast, sometimes averaging only 15 MPH. If you’ve ever read about or followed solar car racing, you figure out pretty quick that it’s not like other races. ![]()
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