MEET STELLA!!
The lightweight, wedge-shaped electric car charges itself with solar cells
It was built at Eindhoven University of Technology in Holland
It travels 500 miles (800km) on a single charge at speeds of 80mph (130km/h)
This distance is increased if the sun is shining thanks to panels on the roof
Car also features a tablet that shows driver when traffic lights will change
And Stella's steering wheel expands if you drive too fast
Stella is a prototype, but recently drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco
Stella is a solar-powered family car has completed a drive from Los Angeles to San
Francisco fuelled entirely by sunshine - a journey covering almost 385
miles (619km).Stella can travel up to 500 miles (800 km) on a single charge, clocking speeds of up to 80mph (130 km). The prototype 4 seater car has solar cells on its roof to provide power while driving, and it boasts of a tablet that tracks traffic light. The vehicle was created by a group called Solar Tam Eindhoven, based at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.Stella's recent journey took it up California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway into the centre of L.A. and the creators of Stella hope their vehicle might one day enter mass production, and become a common sight on roads.
The
1.5-kilowatt array of solar panels on top of the car, which cost about
£2,600 ($4,260) to produce, supply power to the car's lithium ion
battery.
At the back of the car, the panels can be lifted up to reveal a boot, and according toTakePart, other novelties include a steering wheel that expands when a user drives too fast, and contracts when they drive too slow.
It
weighs 855lbs (390kg) and is 15ft (4.6 metres) long, while the body of
the vehicle is made of carbon fibre. Its aerodynamic shape also helps to
increase its driving range.But the car is less than 4ft (1.2 metres) tall, so getting in is a bit of a squeeze.Stella can even communicate with other cars; during an example, it relayed traffic information to a Tesla Model S nearby.
And
this extends to traffic lights as well - a tablet screen in the car
will tell the driver how long until a light up ahead turns red or green.
 |
| The car also features smart technology, including a tablet that shows
the driver when traffic lights will change colour (pictured). It can
also 'talk' to other cars |
|
 |
At the back of the car, (pictured) the panels can be lifted up to reveal
a boot. Stella weighs 855lbs (390kg) and is 15ft (4.6 metres) long,
while the body of the vehicle is made of carbon fibre. Its aerodynamic
shape also helps to increase its driving range. But it is less than 4ft
(1.2 metres) tall, so getting in is a bit of a squeeze
'It was great to see all the people
looking at us; hurrying to get their smartphones out to get pictures
while we were driving,' said Lex Hoefsloot, manager of Solar Team
Eindhoven after the car had undertaken its drive from Los Angeles to San
Francisco. 'I think we caused some traffic jams and we were worried some drivers might run into us while trying to take pictures.'
Hoefsloot
is one of the students at Eindhoven University of Technology who
designed and built Stella in what grew into a school-wide project that
won a World Solar Car challenge race across Australia in 2013. Stella launched a US tour in Detroit at the Intelligent Transportation Society World Congress in early September. The
team drove to San Francisco to join sponsor NXP Semiconductors of The
Netherlands in an event focused on a future in which roads are made
safer and air pollution reduced by cars that 'talk' to one another as
well as traffic signals.
'We think it
is possible to make these cars and have them in a showroom in five to
10 years, but it is a big dream and something we have to really work
on,' said Hoefsloot.
The
technology in Stella is not new and if the solar cars were
mass-produced like gas-guzzling models they could be similarly
affordable, according to the student.
But big auto-makers have had little contact with the team because 'they think it is too far-fetched,' Hoefsloot told AFP. 'We think otherwise, of course,' he said. 'It is the first family car that is powered by solar energy, it just doesn't have a family yet!.'
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment