A group of Canadian students set a new world record for the longest distance traveled in a solar-powered car this weekend, using about as much electricity as it takes to run a toaster. The group's month-long journey began in the East Coast city of Halifax on July 1 and ended Saturday in Vancouver, just north of Seattle. Traveling at an average speed of about 50 mph while using only 1,000 watts of power, the students from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario logged 4,376 miles in their cross-Canada drive, beating the previous record of 2,522 miles set by an Australian team. There was the odd little snag here and there as certain parts came unglued, but they weren't too critical. The Queen's car, called Radiance, traps sunlight in solar cells, which produces electricity to run the motor.
Excess energy is stored in a battery pack that powers the car on cloudy days.
Resembling a spaceship, the black car has a thin oblong body with rectangular solar cells. The cabin space is large enough for one driver, who must lie flat because of the aerodynamic design. With two official drivers, the car covered about 300 km a day. The team hoped the tour would educate the public about viable energy alternatives. Copyright 2000 Reuters.