Solar Car Team Qualifies For Race

July 14, 2008

Northwestern University’s solar car team has officially qualified for the North American Solar Challenge.

After passing a series of qualifying trials and tests over the past week, the car, called NUsolar sc5, has now begun the 2,400-mile race from Plano, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta. Only 15 of 24 teams qualified for the race, which began July 13 and will finish July 23.

The team has worked on the vehicle for the past two years, creating a sleek, lightweight car that, in addition to being powered by Sunpower A-300 solar cells, also harnesses the latest lithium-ion battery technology.

The race requires four drivers from each team to take turns driving their cars hundreds of miles every day, and team members must consider sunlight and battery power to determine how fast and long they can go each day.

To read the team’s blog, click here.

To watch a video of the car on the road, click here.

To watch CBS2 Chicago’s news stories on the car, click here and here.