Fastest Solar Car Ever Built Headed To Australia

Did Stanford’s Solar Car Project build the fastest solar-powered car ever assembled by human hands? Possibly. We’ll now for sure when the vehicle, called Xenith, hits the pavement in Australia during the World Solar Challenge.

The event is held every two years, with changing qualifications proposed by organisers each time, meaning teams must be on their toes to adapt to new rules and regulations. The major change this year was that the driver needed to be seated in an upright position, like a normal gas-powered car. Previous contests allowed the driver to adopt a lying down position for better aerodynamics.

This year’s race will stretch 3,000 kiometers from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia between October 16-23.

One glaring omission from the CNET photo gallery: Xenith’s “fastest ever” speed. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. [CNET]