Sunswift eVe, a solar-powered race car envisioned by a student team from Australia’s University of New South Wales, may be on the streets of Sydney by July this year.
The car will have to be redesigned to comply with the Australian Design Rules’ official car reliability and safety standards, but if they succeed, it will be the first road-legal solar car in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2014 the team broke the world record for the fastest electric car with over 500km on a single charge, proving electric cars can travel very long distances at high speeds. Now they are trying to prove this car can be used by the average Joe – or Joana – and get people from A to Z, whether to work or other leisurely locations.
Cost is a big challenge. The prototype is quite expensive (about $500,000 in value), but if you were to mass produce the car the cost would definitely drop.
It is estimated that it will take almost $100,000 to make the car road legal. Presently they have financial support from the university and sponsors. They also completed a successful crowd funding campaign on Pozible, where they raised over $36,000.
Right now you don’t see too many of these on the road, but as people become more and more aware and protective of the environment – and their pocketbook – you may very well see a bigger shift in the types of cars they buy, and those that are manufactured. Personally, I would love to give this bad boy a spin!
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