Posted: May 4, 2010 10:41 AM
Updated: May 4, 2010 10:41 AM
TUCSON - It's like your car, with rear view mirrors, headlights and turn signals. Except this car is 100% solar powered.
It's the 2010 model of The University of Arizona solar car.
Student Sean Martinez said, "There's about 600 individual solar cells on this. They're divided into four sub-arrays that all go into the same battery pack. The solar panels charge the battery, the motor runs off the battery."
"We got it to the mid 20s, 25, 26 mph. It's not designed for speed it's designed for efficiency," said student Chad Essig.
How about the gas mileage? Martinez said, "It gets 3,149 miles per gallon."
The inside of the car is fairly basic. During a spin around the parking lot, the car was able to take turns at 10 mph.
While this type of car is still years away from city streets, this project gives students a chance to apply what they learn.
Essig said, "It's about hands-on, getting to build and construct. In the classroom, we do a lot of math; we do a lot of hypothetical things."
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