Solar Love
  • Rooftop Solar
    • Energy Storage
  • Solar Panels
  • Policy
  • Research
    • Science
    • Market Research
    • Solar Perceptions & Polls

Solar Love

  • Rooftop Solar
    • Energy Storage
  • Solar Panels
  • Policy
  • Research
    • Science
    • Market Research
    • Solar Perceptions & Polls
New TechnologyPV

World’s Best Solar-Powered Family Car — Eindhoven’s Stella

by James Ayre October 17, 2013
written by James Ayre October 17, 2013
World’s Best Solar-Powered Family Car — Eindhoven’s Stella

Eindhoven University of Technology’s “Stella” — a relatively “normal-looking” solar-powered four-wheeler, normal by solar-car standards anyways — took first place in the Michelin Cruiser class at this year’s World Solar Challenge race in Australia.

Billed as “the world’s first solar-powered family car,” Stella completed the 3,000 kilometer journey from Darwin to Adelaide using nothing but the energy of the Sun, all while providing ample space for passengers. Developed in the Netherlands, Stella was designed to comfortably seat four people, while still possessing the ability to obtain respectable speeds, and as a result has notably different design parameters than a solar car like, say, the super-fast Nuna7.

Image Credit: Stella Interior via Flickr CC

Image Credit: Stella Interior via Flickr CC

The biannual cross-country race drew more than 40 participants this year, representing a total of 24 different countries. The Michelin Cruiser class in which Stella competed is judged on a combination of different factors, not simply speed — the goal is practicality, or to put it more directly, “the ultimate goal of an entrant (is) being able to meet the requirements for road registration in the country of origin.”

Elaborating on the first place finish in a blog post, Solar Team Eindhoven states:

After the time finish and the unofficial arrival in Adelaide, the team had to overcome one more obstacle. The practicality score on Saturday would be added up in order to determine the overall winner. The team was being judged on several aspects like comfort, features, styling and aesthetics but also parallel parking and cargo space.

A combination of time, recharging from the mains, the number of passengers and the final jury verdict on Saturday decided that the students from TU/e really were the World Champions in solar-powered family cars.

“We’ve set the new standard,” states team manager Lex Hoefsloot. “After one-and-a-half years of hard work we’ve not only proved that the world’s first solar-powered family car is now a reality, but at the same time we’ve won the World Solar Challenge.”

Find out more about Stella on the Solar Team Eindhoven website.

Also, here’s a short video about the car:

Eindhoven University of Technologysolar carssolar powered carsSolar Team EindhovenStellaTU/eTU/e solar car
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterest
James Ayre

's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.

previous post
Solar Sidewalk — A World First
next post
Plastic Solar Cells — Low-Priced Plastic Photovoltaic Technology Coming Along

You may also like

India’s NTPC Offers Solar Project Management Services To...

June 9, 2019

Neighborhood Power Installing 10 Megawatt Solar Bifacial+Tracker Project...

November 20, 2018

EDF Renewables Commissions 110 Megawatts Of Solar In...

October 30, 2018

Maui Switches On Another 2.87 Megawatts Of Solar...

October 8, 2018

Capital Dynamics Acquires 121 Megawatt Springbok 3 Solar...

September 27, 2018

EnSync Energy Sells CAL FIRE Solar PPA Project...

August 20, 2018

India Sees Highest-Ever Quarterly Solar Addition

April 30, 2018

As Solar Bids Firm Up, Indian State Cancels...

April 24, 2018

Solar+Storage Project Awarded In India’s Andaman Islands

April 23, 2018

New Manufacturing Techniques Could Lower The Cost Of...

April 17, 2018

Follow Me

Facebook

Recent Posts

  • Meet PVCase: A 3D Solar Design Software That Every PV Designer Should Consider

    June 12, 2019
  • Mitsui To Partner With Indian Company For Distributed Solar Projects

    June 10, 2019
  • India’s NTPC Offers Solar Project Management Services To ISA Members

    June 9, 2019
  • Equinor & Scatec Solar Complete 162 Megawatt Brazilian Solar Plant

    November 29, 2018
  • Gamesa Awarded 400 Megawatt Solar Project In Egypt

    November 29, 2018
  • Facebook

@2019 - All Right Reserved solarlove.org


Back To Top