Solar Car Speed Record Smashed

An anonymous reader writes with word from Australia that "There's a new world record for the fastest solar-powered land vehicle: 88 km/h average speed over one kilometre in a lightweight car that uses about the same power as a toaster." As the article goes on to explain, this solar racer, built last year by students from the University of New South Wales, managed to nab that speed record earlier this month on an Australian navy base airstrip.

Comments

1.21GW

[GigaplexNZ]

88km/h? If only they used a metric flux capacitor...

Re:1.21GW

[pnewhook]

Toasters use about 1.5kW which is about 2 horsepower

I never understood the term horsepower. Show me two horses that can make toast.

Wow, broken twice in a month!

[Anonymous Coward]

managed to nab that speed record earlier this month

Kind of like how Slashdot covered it earlier this month?

rules

[Lehk228]

are photovoltaics required? it would be fun to enter a steam engine / mirror driven vehicle, something large like the size of a tractor trailer with huge mirror collectors. it wouldn't be very fast but unlike the photocell models it could have an air conditioner and heater core.

Re:88 km/h average speed over one kilometre

[cappp]

Slashdot's been working on breaking it's own records...only 14 days since this was posted originally.

Re:Landspeed record for disabled cars? (

[Caustic Soda]

When I read the (non-slashdot) article when it originally came out, they hold the record for the fastest speed in a vehicle entirely powered by solar panels. Most solar vehicles use the panels to charge batteries, and then run from the battery, whereas this vehicle used the power directly.

Re:Toaster?

[jovius]

Toaster powered car would be awesome. Besides the exhaust projectiles could solve global starvation, unlike rocket exhaust fumes, for example.

Whoosh

[ShakaUVM]

Well, since they were in Australia, they actually ended up going -88 km/h.

Re:Would not buy again

[c6gunner]

Better than getting nailed in the face by 88km/h toast ...

Duplicate

[jklovanc]

Com on guys can't you even to a simple search on past articles before posting a new one? This is the third time this week a duplicate article has been posted; two of them from this month.

This is a duplicate of http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/09/0418256/Aussie-Team-Smashes-Land-Speed-Record-For-Solar-Powered-Cars posted on January 9th.

Re:Duplicate

[pnewhook]

Com on guys can't you even to a simple search on past articles before posting a new one?

Can't you? Do you know how many people have already pointed out that this is a duplicate post?

Re:Toaster?

[MichaelSmith]

Saw this in a science museum once. The setup you describe powering a CRT television. The TV needed 500 watts and I could just barely get it running. Electric bicycles in my state are limited to 200W by the way but they don't have to drag banks of photovoltaic cells around with them.

Re:Toaster?

[pnewhook]

I don't see why 'same power as a toaster' is misleading - it's a comparison of power. What does your example prove?