Japan’s Tokai University, whose team won the last installment of the World Solar Challenge, a race for solar cars, unveiled the vehicle it plans to enter in the next installment, which will be held in Australia this October. Junichi Taki, who is going to lead the student team, was bubbling with enthusiasm. “We set out not only to build the best solar car but also to give Japan a big lift by making an excellent showing with it,” he said.
In the last race, the Tokai University entry was mounted with gallium-arsenide solar cells. For the coming race, its vehicle will be equipped with heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells manufactured by Panasonic. These cells offer the world’s highest conversion efficiency for silicon cells and were modified for the solar car. The vehicle also utilizes Panasonic lithium-ion cells and has a body made of carbon fiber of the best quality produced by Toray. The team is hoping to take the crown again with the vehicle, which has a more compact size, lighter weight, and higher aerodynamic performance.
The race will last from the 16th to the 23rd of October, over a 3,000-km course between Darwin and Adelaide. The organizers are expecting participation by 42 teams from 20 countries and territories around the world.
