Solar car by SolarWorld AG and Bochum University of Applied Sciences will cover more than 30,000 kilometers driven only by the power of the sun
Driven by the power of the sun alone, the solar-powered car SolarWorld GT set out in Adelaide/Australia to go once around the world. In a year’s time, the SolarWorld GT is expected back in Australia. For the first time in the history of the motor car, a vehicle will travel once around the entire globe just with the help of an electric motor that is independent in energy terms. The SolarWorld GT will be propelled by solar power. The car with integrated solar cells was developed by SolarWorld AG, a leading supplier of solar power products, in conjunction with the Bochum University of Applied Sciences. The two-seater has the dimensions of a conventional passenger car. The circumnavigation of our planet is designed to demonstrate how efficient and suitable for everyday driving sustainable mobility is under real-life conditions.
“The SolarWorld GT is an ambassador for solar mobility. It manages completely without fuel and additional power,“ explains Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG. “In future, millions of vehicles will be operated electrically. They will not all have their own power plant on board like the SolarWorld GT, but they can be recharged at home with a SunCarport or the solar power plant on your own roof.”
After the first leg of the trip in Australia, the journey will continue to New Zealand. Subsequently, SolarWorld GT will cross several countries in the continents of North America, North Africa, Europe and Asia. After covering 34,000 kilometers and crossing the equator twice, the journey will end in Australia again after one year. “We want to show that the vision of a solar world can become reality in the near future. What is more, the journey around the world will inspire many people to think about sustainable energy supply in all other spheres of life as well,” adds Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck.
The SolarWorld Group and Bochum University of Applied Sciences have already been developing solar vehicles for demonstration purposes since 2006. Before the SolarWorld GT, some 30 young Bochum engineers built the Solar Racer SolarWorld No. 1. This has by now gained victory in many races all over the world. While the SolarWorld No. 1 was designed for speed, the SolarWorld GT is expected to prove successful over the long distance. If the circling of the world succeeds, the car would establish several world records at the same time. It would also receive the accolade for the longest distance ever covered by a solar car.
SolarWorld AG will report regularly about this trip around the world and the events along the way.