Despite the lack of sleep, improper diet and fending off a stray donkey which attacked his camp, Mr. Jayson Ang, along with 23 other students and teachers from Singapore Polytechnic (SP), are following the sun so as to absorb as much solar energy as possible for their slick and futuristic SunSpec 3.
Since Sunday, Mr. Ang and his teammates have been commuting from the top of Australia to the bottom to support SunSpec 3, which runs solely on solar energy at the World Solar Challenge.
The car that weighs 200kg is fitted with 516 pieces of solar cells which can absorb 23 percent of the sun's rays. This year, the cars had to be fitted with four wheels instead of three, which increased wind resistance and weight.
Two students and two staff drive the car, while the rest aid with navigation, maintenance and logistics. The team expects to finish the race by tomorrow in Adelaide.
According to The Straits Times, 40 cars from 22 countries competed and the team from SP is one day behind the winner, Dutch team Nuon, from the Delft University of Technology. The lead team claimed victory in 33 hours with an average speed of 90.71km/h.
Mr. Ang told the local paper that poor weather hindered the car from achieving a more favourable 85km/h, achieving instead a best of 65km/h. That said, the car briefly hit 95km/h on Wednesday and overtook a few competitors.
"As time goes by, I believe people will build solar cars for commercial purposes. We can travel so far without using a single bit of fuel. It can help to save the earth," added Mr. Ang.
The bi-annual race aims to push for designs that can be commercialised one day.
Mr. Steven Chew, a staff member from SP's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, told The Straits Times that the students had learnt about dealing with pressure and life in the outback on top of engineering.
