"A GIANT STEP FOR MANKIND!"
- POSTED: 31 Oct 2013 23:03
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On a full charge, "Stella" can drive 800 kilometres, thanks to its rooftop blanket of solar panels which charge the car's electric battery.
SINGAPORE: There aren't many ways to travel 3,000 kilometres across the Australian outback.
A group of students from the Netherlands has done it in a solar-powered minivan and in the process, winning this year's World Solar Challenge.
"Stella" may share a name with something you rode around in as a kid but this isn't your typical minivan.
"This is the first family car that is powered by solar energy," said Lex Hoefsloot, co-founder and team manager of Solar Team Eindhoven.
Standing just 1.3 metres high and weighing a mere 380 kilogrammes, "Stella" can carry four adults rather comfortably.
On a full charge, it can drive 800 kilometres, thanks to its rooftop blanket of solar panels which charge the car's electric battery.
There is also a plug-in for emergencies.
"Eventually, when your battery is fully charged, the car can then transfer the energy in the car to, for example, your home, and you can do your laundry (using) the energy," said Hoefsloot.
"Stella" has all the normal features one had expect in a vehicle - pedals, blinkers, a reverse camera and even a horn.
However, it also has a feature most normal cars don't have yet - the ability to talk to other cars.
Loh Kin Wah, executive VP of sales and marketing at NXP Semiconductors, said: "You could actually get the communication to the next car when some situations occur."
NXP Semiconductors is a sponsor of "Stella" and they have provided some of the car's technology.
While they won't disclose how much the minivan cost to build, Mr Loh said if the vehicle could be mass-produced, it wouldn't cost more than the average vehicle.
Car owners won't be able to get their hands on one of these minivans yet, but NXP said they will be available in the market within five years.
- CNA/fa
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