The Cambridge University Eco-Racing (CUER) team has finally unveiled its latest solar-powered car dubbed Evolution that weighs about a third of the weight of a small car.
The team unveiled its latest creation at Cambridge University’s athletics track on a wet morning, which wasn’t the most welcoming day in the otherwise sunny summer season. The team intends to have Evolution race at the 3,000km Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October in Australia.
Evolution will be pitched against 50 cars at the event. Weighing at 180kg, the car gains energy via a solar panel of 2.36 square metres and is capable of speeds of up to 110km per hour, or 68 mph with a battery that can last up to 500km.
The teams says that Evolution is far better than its 2013 predecessor, which met with an accident during pre-race testing. The teams says that they have changed the design to make is more stable by keeping it as close to a tear drop shape as possible as they claim that its quite an optimal dynamic design.
Increased stability had been a key factor in the development of the new car, according to CUER’s technical chief Simon Schofield. “Stability has been a key issue for us, and this year’s car has been built to much higher standards than ever before,” he said.
CUER programme director Aurelia Hibbert believes that the team is in the best position than it has ever been in and one of the reasons is that they have forged closer relationships with manufacturing partners and built a car that they hope can complete the full 3,000km.
“That would put us in the top 15 teams in the race”, Hibbert added.
The car has seen light of the day thanks to sixty students and a plethora of sponsors including Marshalls, TTP, BNY Mellon, Jaguar Land Rover, among others.
