NEW CONTENDER FOR THE WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE

SPLITTING THE SOLAR POWER SUPPLY FROM THE AERODYNAMICS WAS THE INNOVATIVE APPROACH TAKEN BY THE U.K.-BASED CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY ECO RACING TEAM.

YOU'VE SEEN THE BRIDGESTONE WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE (WSC) before. Extremely lightweight solar-powered cars, each “a big, flat tabletop of solar cells on wheels,” attempting to bisect the vast, empty aridity of the Australian Outback, driven by the sun's rays alone. Top speeds can reach 50 or 60 mph (80 to 97 km/h).

Not only does the grueling 1882-mi (3029-km) race from Darwin through Alice Springs and down to Adelaide pose a formidable technical trial, the event has also been known to toss in random bush fires, vehicle fires, and even cloudy weather in addition to the relentless Aussie sun.