World Solar Challenge Underway

snowdon writes "The World Solar Challenge started today, and the top teams are now camped in the Australian outback more than 600km south of Darwin. You can follow the event live in real-time using satellite tracking at worldsolarchallenge.org."

Comments

easier way to track

[cellocgw]

I'm over at https://www.nsa.4q2/ and they've got all the info, with cool tracking overlays, too!

Solar Panel

[flyneye]

I've sent a contingent of fast food solar bobble toys as ambassadors of goodwill to view the contest. Please do not step on them as they are near the starting line.

The Classes

[WalksOnDirt]

There are three classes:

Challenger: This is the main race.

Cruiser: Sort of road worthy cars, judged on practicality as well as the race placement.

Adventure: Last year's Challenger Class, just to let people compete with prior cars.

Re:The Classes

[swillden]

Cruiser: Sort of road worthy cars, judged on practicality as well as the race placement.

This is the class that interests me. Sure, they're still a long way from being something that anyone could use as a day-to-day vehicle, but they're moving closer to that goal. A goal that is unlikely to ever be fully achieved, but what we learn from making mostly-impractical pure solar cars will eventually help us to build usable electrics which are light enough and efficient enough that they can be usefully powered in part by integral solar panels -- and which will require very little grid power and need much smaller batteries than current EVs.

Real Solar Challenge

[Anonymous Coward]

I read a short story once, about a race that would be a round trip around the sun, and using the slingshot effect to hurl the racers back to earth. That's a real solar challenge.

Re:Real Solar Challenge

[Smallpond]

That's not fiction. I spent the last year going around the Sun.

Re: Solar plus stored energy

[mathew42]

Many people are concerned about the range of an electric car. Currently the Tesla S has a range of 480km. If you can use solar panels to add 50% to that range, then it is 720km. That is some serious distance.

Our second car rarely travels more than 10km from home, so personally I'd be happy with a range of 100km and a price of under $30,000.

Re: Solar plus stored energy

[swillden]

Many people are concerned about the range of an electric car. Currently the Tesla S has a range of 480km. If you can use solar panels to add 50% to that range, then it is 720km. That is some serious distance.

I don't think that much range extension is likely. What I think may be achievable, though, is to make it possible to commute a 100 km round trip on small batteries that only hold enough charge for 70 km, without access to charging facilities at work. Being able to recover a significant part of your charge just by parking the car outdoors is valuable.

Our second car rarely travels more than 10km from home, so personally I'd be happy with a range of 100km and a price of under $30,000.

You should take a look at the Nissan LEAF. I have one (2012), and I really like it. The price of the low-end model is under $30K. Given how fast technology is changing in this area I opted to lease. I pay just over $200 per month on the lease payment, but I calculate that the car saves enough on fuel costs that my net cost to drive a very nice new car (I have the $36K model) is ~$80.

If I drive it very carefully (and stay off of freeways), I can get about 100 miles range out of a full charge. If I'm not careful, drive fast, use the heater, etc., the range drops to 70 miles, which is the ballpark of your 100 km range requirement.

IMO, an EV is a perfect second car today. It's not a good choice if it's your only vehicle, unless you can spend the money to get a Tesla with the big battery ($85K), or if your long-range driving needs are sufficiently rare that it's feasible to rent or borrow a car. But, if we can improve batteries (lighter / more energy density / cheaper), make the cars more efficient, add some integral solar recharging capability as a range extender when there's some non-driving time, etc., that will change. It doesn't even require improvements in all of those areas, but multiple small improvements are just as good as one large improvement, and we're getting close.

Korean car name DOKDO is shameless

[Anonymous Coward]

Korean car name DOKDO is shameless and too political.
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Takeshima in Japanese or Dokdo in Korean, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan. Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea.