
The
Cruiser category is new for the competition and was declared for first before the race within October
6th –
13th,
2013. This category was created with the purpose to stimulate development
solar-
powered vehicles for every-day-use. And the first champion from this category is
Stella “the world’s first solar- powered family-car”. The vehicle was developed by
Solar Team Eindhoven, a team supported by
Eindhoven University of Technology. The car achieved top speed of
120 km/h and maintained average speed of
67 km/h with
3 people inside. The distance passed was nearly
3000 km.
Stella has solar panels on its roof and back, as the back panels could be lifted in order to charge the batteries while
Stella doesn’t move. The team states that the car generates more electricity than it uses.

There are still some tasks to be solved (for example, the development of efficient energy storage system to allow night driving for the vehicle), but Stella is a vehicle that gives hope for creating an alternative of the current fossil fuels.
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