The kids over at MIT have created a Solar-powered car named “Eleanor,” which on sunny days, has a cruising speed of 55 mph but can top speeds of up to 90 mph. Even if it’s cloudy, the team said that on a full charge the car’s batteries can hold enough power to travel more than 200 miles without needing any sunlight.
The MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team has entered Elanor to compete in the World Solar Challenge, which draws teams from around the world for a seven-day race across nearly 2,000 miles of Australian outback.
In 2003, the MIT team scored third place in the World Solar Challenge with their entry “Tesseract,” however they face stiff competition against the Dutch Nuon Solar Team, who has dominated the World Solar Challenge for the last four races.
The team plans to give it their best shot, driving Eleanor across the U.S. this summer in preparation for the grueling Australia race.
