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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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Photos: Solar racers gain speed Down Under By Jennifer Guevin, CNET News.com October 31, 2007 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/hardware/soa/Photos-Solar-racers-gain-speed-Down-Under/0,139023759,339283383,00.htm
Teams from around the world were on the move across Australia this past week to show what a homemade car and some solar panels can do. 
The Panasonic World Solar Challenge, a race across the continent of Australia that takes place every two years, concluded its 20th competition over the weekend. The event was founded in 1987 with the intent of encouraging private teams to work together and push developments in the field of solar-powered vehicles. The Nuon Solar Team -- that's their vehicle pictured here -- comes from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It entered this year's competition as three-time champion and was looking to win yet another title. The 11-member team includes students in aviation and aerospace engineering, microelectronics, industrial design, biomedical engineering, and electrical engineering. The team is named after its primary sponsor, an energy company called Nuon. They began work on their entry, called Nuna4, more than a year ago, in September 2006. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
The drivers headed due south across the rugged terrain of the outback, a roughly 3,000-kilometre course. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
At around 5pm Friday (local time), the Nuon Solar Team's Nuna4 crossed the finish line and claimed its fourth first-place win in the biennial race. Nuna4 transited the continent over the course of four days at an average speed of about 56mph (90km/h). This was the only car to finish Friday. Here, the driver is greeted by an enthusiastic group that showered the car -- and each other -- in champagne. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
The Umicore Solar Team from Belgium finished in second place. Their car is shown here as it crosses the finish line in Adelaide. The team made good on its goal of besting its previous finish. In the last race, in 2005, their car finished in 11th place. This year's 14-member team worked on their car for a year and a half and was backed by more than 70 companies. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
Aurora 101, pictured here crossing the finish line and taking third place in the competition, was one of two entries to come from the Aurora Vehicle Association. The group has competed in every World Solar Challenge since the competition started and claims one win, four second-place finishes, one fifth-place finish, one sixth, and one crash. The Association is a not-for-profit group of volunteers who work on making transportation more efficient. In the early '80s, the group held the world record for fuel economy with a high of 0.04L/100km, according to its Web site. The group put together two teams this year, one competing in the Challenge competition with Aurora 101, and one in the Adventure competition with "Christine." The group's three-wheeled Aurora 101 is 161 inches (4 metres) long, about 71 inches (1.8 metres) wide and 40 inches (1m) high. Its solar array can put out 1,250 watts of power. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
While the majority of the teams competed in the main Challenge competition, there were two other classes that teams could participate in: The Adventure class is for teams participating for the fun of it. Any car that has ever qualified for any of the events can compete in the Adventure Class. The Greenfleet Technology class is an opportunity for teams to demonstrate new automotive technologies and for those aiming to achieve the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions. Electric, hybrid and low-carbon vehicles are permitted in the Greenfleet Class. The Waikato University's UltraCommuter, shown here, entered as a demonstration car. Most teams in the main competition had designs, like Delft University's Nuna4, with a flat rectangular array of solar panels relatively low to the ground. But because the Greenfleet class' goal is to come up with more real-world concepts, they tend to add a touch of style to their designs. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge  Another car winning style points is the Oxyride (shown here), from the Osaka Sangyo University team. The Oxyride, one of three cars submitted by the Osaka Sangyo team, was also an entrant in the Greenfleet class. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
Team HelioDet, from Germany, used a unique design that looks more like a helicopter than a car. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
The American team that finished with the best time came from the University of Michigan. Their car, Continuum, finished Saturday in fifth place. Another US team, from Stanford University, saw its dreams came to a halt Thursday when its car blew a tire, spun out of control, and flipped over, according to The Stanford Daily. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
Stanford wasn't the only team to meet with trouble. Here, the team from Salesian Polytechnic, works on a blown tire at a brake test point. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
Snug as a bug in the driver compartment of a solar car. The driver's seat is not for the claustrophobic. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
German team FH Bochum stands at dawn with its sleek-looking entry. The team ended up finishing in sixth place. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
FH Bochum's driver gets a feel for the interior of the car, called Solar World No. 1. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge 
Under the sleek exteriors of the solar cars are intricate electrical systems like this one. Credit: Panasonic World Solar Challenge
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