World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia
On Sunday, 42 teams travelling in solar-powered vehicles took to the start line in northern Australia to compete in the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
Teams from all over the world set out from Darwin Sunday morning and will travel over 3,000 Km in four days south to the city of Adelaide.
The teams were divided into three categories, including Challenger Class, Cruiser Class and Adventure Class.
Challenger Class vehicles are single seat aerodynamic solar powered vehicles built for sustained endurance and total energy efficiency. Cruiser Class teams design solar vehicles for practicality and acceptance in a given market segment. Adventure Class vehicles allows cars built for previous editions of the event to run again, usually with new team members.
On the third day of competition, Solar Team Twente of the Netherlands is in first place in the Challenger Class while Kogakuin University traveling in OWL is ahead of the crowd in the Cruiser Class. Finally, in the Adventure Class, Houston Solar Race Team of the United States is in first place.
On Monday, favourable winds helped propel teams who were able to maintain speeds of around 90 Km/hr. The northerly winds also helped the solar cars conserve energy.
Also on Monday, the teams crossed the border into South Australia. The stage is now set for what organizers are calling one of the closest Challenger Classes ever ran. There is only 11 minutes separating the top teams.
Follow team progress on the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge live team tracker as they make their way towards Adelaide online