Solar Cars The 2003 World Solar Challenge is over with Holland again leading the planet with the number one car driving the 3010 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide in the record time of 30 hours and 54 minutes! Pictured right is the Nuon car with the Nuon Solar Team.  For more they do have a website at: http://www.nuonsolarteam.nl , it is in Dutch but it does have some great graphics on the development of the Nuon, the No.1 solar vehicle in the world!
	Solar cars are zero cost to operate with unlimited range, zero pollution and easily manufactured, though not currently readily available.  Nor is the solar vehicle terribly inexpensive thanks to the fact that solar panels have not yet become the commodity that encourages mass production and low prices.  Further, these vehicles are very light weight, carry almost nothing more than one or two people and operate best in places where people don't usually need to go (such as the Australian Outback).  Solar vehicles are most often seen in races between universities where research is stretching the limits of solar power.
		Beyond the academic and novelty value, this technology may serve us best in helping to develop solar panels that can power (or which at least can help power) everything from houses to factories to other types of electric and  hybrid electric cars.  These little spacey vehicles designed to travel long distances entirely on the energy from the sun are destined to compete in the World Solar Challenge held every 2 years.  Aurora, the winner of the 1999 challenge used solar cells known as passivated emitter, rear locally diffused cells developed at the University of New South Wales Photovoltaics Special Research Centre. They are considered the most efficient solar cells currently available.  Aurora achieved speeds over 80kph in the race from Darwin to Adelaide.