The world’s first solar-powered family car that can travel 420 miles on a sunny day and creates twice much energy as it uses has been produced.
The
car, called Stella, and produced by a team of engineers from the
Eindhoven University of Technology, in Netherlands, is also the world’s
first ‘energy positive’ car, according to an online publication, Daily
mail.
It said the vehicle could seat four and travel twice as far as an electric car before recharging.
Using
large solar panels that are placed on the roof of the car, ‘Stella’
could travel 250 miles without sunshine and on a sunny day, when fully
charged, it can drive up to 420 miles, it stated.
It noted, “This is nearly twice as far as a standard electric car can travel before it needs to be charged up.”
Made
with the latest in lightweight materials, such as high grade aluminum
and carbon fibre, the car weighs a mere 380kg, 120kg lighter than the
average electrical car.
The
Team Manager, Lex Hoefsloot, at Eindhoven University of Technology,
said, “Because the car is standing still 90 per cent of the time in
front of your house or your office, we found out that in 10 out of the
12 months of the year, the car provided more energy than it uses.
“The
car also produces twice the amount of energy needed to drive normal
distances and soon our car will be granted a license plate by the Dutch
authorities. We strongly believe that the car of the future is much
lighter, aerodynamic and more efficient.”
He stressed that solar panels were the solution for a sustainable future, noting that they could increase the range of the car.
Giving
the cost of the solar cells on the roof of the car as £2,600, he
stated, “The car is still expensive because it is a prototype and it is
hand-made, but when the production is scaled up, the car could be just
as affordable as a normal family car.”
The
team leader, however, said future designs would focus on making the car
even more comfortable, practical and energy efficient.
