While solar cars are still more oddity than practical vehicle, it’s still nice to see some of the improvements made to various prototype vehicles over the last few years.
Much of these improvements seem to relate the desire to win the various solar car races out there. Who can resist a good competition? Especially when it concerns the cutting edge of a technology that may be widely used in the future?
On that note… the Stanford Solar Car Project recently unveiled “Arctan” — the group’s newest creation, slated to compete within the near future in the world’s most prominent solar car race.
Here’s a full quote from a recent blog post by the group thanking those who came out to the unveiling in person:
Thanks to everyone who came out to Arctan’s unveiling yesterday! Sharing our work with the public has been very rewarding, and we truly appreciate the support of the alumni, sponsors, friends, and families in building our newest vehicle. What’s next? In the spirit of our motto, “test it again,” we have lots of test drives on our schedule. This will be an exciting summer!
Certainly looks “interesting,” does it not? Not exactly a vehicle made for its looks, though, I think.
In a follow-up post, the Stanford team wrote: “The array for the Stanford Solar Car Project’s 2015 World Solar Challenge Vehicle, Arctan, incorporates some of the most advanced photovoltaic and encapsulation technologies. The primary component is SunPower Maxeon® cells. These back contact cells increase functional area and avoid shading due to the metal paste from front contact soldering.”
For more details on this year’s solar car, Arctan, and how it compares to last year’s car, Luminos, check out this Stanford post.
Image Credits: Stanford Solar Car Project