The SolarWorld GT, powered only by the sun, is stopping at UC Santa Barbara and in Camarillo within the next week. (Photo courtesy of SolarWorld) |
A solar-powered car on a quest to circumnavigate the globe is kicking off a 49-day trek across the U.S. on Tuesday in Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Propelled only by the sun’s rays, the two-seat SolarWorld Gran Turismo sports car is slated to travel 21,000 miles and set a “Guinness World Records” record for the longest distance covered by a solar car, according to its co-creator SolarWorld.
“The SolarWorld GT is an ambassador for sustainable personal transportation, reminding us that the power to shift our driving habits away from dirty fossil fuels is within our grasp,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas in a statement. “Clean energy from the sun is there for the taking – without depleting the Earth’s riches.”
The car will make five planned stops along a 3,774-mile route from California to South Carolina, according to a news release from SolarWorld. The first of the stops is scheduled for Friday at UC Santa Barbara, followed by a Feb. 6 stop at SolarWorld Americas headquarters in Camarillo.
“There is a rich history here,” said SolarWorld spokeswoman Devon Cichoski. “It’s the birthplace of the modern solar industry. California is the biggest solar market in the country. So we certainly wanted to make this part of the tour.”
The SolarWorld GT began its journey in Australia and New Zealand in October 2011, before getting shipped to the United States in December. Following the U.S. road trip, the vehicle and its crew will travel through Europe, Africa and Asia before finishing back in Australia in late 2012.
Cichoski said a car like the SolarWorld GT is as much as five to 10 years from mass commercialization. The lightweight carbon material that makes up the car’s body, lightweight tires, and special solar cells – the type used to power the International Space Station – make the car very expensive at a cost of $500,00 to $600,000.
But unlike previous models that were designed for one driver, Cichoski said the German college students who designed and are driving this car made it a product that consumers can integrate into their lives. SolarWorld collaborated with Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany to built the vehicle.
“We see this car,” she said, “as a model for what’s possible in the future.”
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Propelled only by the sun’s rays, the two-seat SolarWorld Gran Turismo sports car is slated to travel 21,000 miles and set a “Guinness World Records” record for the longest distance covered by a solar car, according to its co-creator SolarWorld.
“The SolarWorld GT is an ambassador for sustainable personal transportation, reminding us that the power to shift our driving habits away from dirty fossil fuels is within our grasp,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas in a statement. “Clean energy from the sun is there for the taking – without depleting the Earth’s riches.”
The car will make five planned stops along a 3,774-mile route from California to South Carolina, according to a news release from SolarWorld. The first of the stops is scheduled for Friday at UC Santa Barbara, followed by a Feb. 6 stop at SolarWorld Americas headquarters in Camarillo.
“There is a rich history here,” said SolarWorld spokeswoman Devon Cichoski. “It’s the birthplace of the modern solar industry. California is the biggest solar market in the country. So we certainly wanted to make this part of the tour.”
The SolarWorld GT began its journey in Australia and New Zealand in October 2011, before getting shipped to the United States in December. Following the U.S. road trip, the vehicle and its crew will travel through Europe, Africa and Asia before finishing back in Australia in late 2012.
Cichoski said a car like the SolarWorld GT is as much as five to 10 years from mass commercialization. The lightweight carbon material that makes up the car’s body, lightweight tires, and special solar cells – the type used to power the International Space Station – make the car very expensive at a cost of $500,00 to $600,000.
But unlike previous models that were designed for one driver, Cichoski said the German college students who designed and are driving this car made it a product that consumers can integrate into their lives. SolarWorld collaborated with Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany to built the vehicle.
“We see this car,” she said, “as a model for what’s possible in the future.”
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L.A. for less than the price of sunblock. 
