Dutch students develop solar-powered family car

LONDON: Dutch students have developed a family car powered by the sun which generates more energy than it uses while reaching speeds of up to 125 kilometres per hour and the vehicle can clock over 1,000 km on a full charge.

The car, Stella Lux, generates electricity via 5.8 sq m of solar cells and has an additional battery capacity of 15 kWh.

A full charge provides a range of over 1,000 km in the Dutch climate or 1,100 km in the Australian climate, and the car has a top speed of 125 km/h.

The car developed by Solar Team Eindhoven (STE), a group of 21 students from different faculties of the Eindhoven University of Technology, is both lightweight and aerodynamic, and seats up to four people.

Materials including carbon fibre and aluminum are used to keep the vehicle's weight down to just 375 kg, 'Gizmag' reported.

The car features a specially designed navigation system. The Solar Navigator system monitors weather and chooses the optimal route accordingly.

The other features of the car include the ability to unlock the car doors when a paired smartphone is nearby and a touchscreen with haptic buttons that is designed to be used without the driver taking their eyes off the road.

In 2013, STE developed the precursor to Stella Lux, known simply as Stella, which won the Cruiser Class of the World Solar Challenge that year.

Stella Lux will now take part in the Cruiser Class of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia in October.