Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 7, 1993 TAG: 9311070015
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: D-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA LENGTH: Medium
Click. Hmmmmmmm.
There will be no throaty roar today when 55 race cars take off on a cross-continent race.
The competitors in the third World Solar Challenge all plan to finish the 1,865-mile course from Darwin to Adelaide propelled by the blistering rays of the Outback sun, racing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Vice President Al Gore dubbed the Solar Challenge "the most important event in the world" in a conversation last June, said the race's organizer, Hans Tholstrup of Denmark.
Since California adopted laws requiring that pollution-free cars begin to take the road by 1998, automakers have been scrambling to build workable electric cars, using solar race cars as their test models.
"I think you're seeing here the ultimate test of electric technology in a real-life situation. The big interest is in the Californian legislation, and what that will mean," said Greg Gardner, the coordinator of Toyota's team.
This year's race is expected to be tight, with Detroit's top engineers pitting their best designs against solar cars built by Japan's Honda, Toyota and Nissan.
Other entries come from Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Russia, Britain, Switzerland, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, South Korea and Puerto Rico - all competing solely for a trophy of a globe topped with a sun and for bragging rights, of course.
Race organizers hope this year's cars will be able to average better than 43 mph cruising on solar cells and sprint up to 87 mph on their solar-powered batteries.
The race is held every three years, covering a distance almost as far as Los Angeles to Detroit. No one has beat the time set by the GM SunRaycer in 1987, zipping from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south in 44.9 hours, averaging nearly 67 mph. The SunRaycer, commonly known as the "flying cockroach" for its sleek aerodynamic shape, reached Adelaide 2 1/2 days ahead of the runner-up.
The 1993 race is shaping up as a battle of aerodynamics vs. new motor technology, Tholstrup said.
"The Ford car seems to have the best aerodynamics, but they don't have the new `wheel motor' of the Swiss Biel car. The `wheel motor' is 96.5 percent efficient," he said, compared with the 22 percent efficiency typical of the average gas-guzzling family sedan.
The total value of the 55 entries - up from the 36 cars that ran in 1990 - is estimated at more than $16.5 million. Some cars have solar cells worth more than $1 million, Tholstrup said, and most cars weigh less than 750 pounds.
In a perverse coincidence, as the solar cars leave Darwin today, Formula One high-performance cars will get the green flag for the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide.
"The solar cars are like nice sailboats," Woodward said. "The Formula One cars are like big, noisy, smelly power boats."
by CNB