Solar car wins with Sharp cells

After 11 days of racing in the Republic of South Africa, the “Tokai Challenger,” a solar race car equipped with Sharp solar cells, emerged victorious in the South African Solar Challenge 2010.

Fielded by a team from Tokai University in Japan, the car is equipped with Sharp compound solar cells developed for outer space applications. Sharp says the cells have a cell conversion efficiency of 30%, the highest level in the world, with an output of 1.8kW.

The Tokai University team started the race from Pretoria, the capital city of the Republic of South Africa, passing through Cape Town and Durban before returning to Pretoria. They covered 4,061.8 kilometers at an average speed of 90.1 kph. The Tokai Challenger crossed the finish line in the first place at 12:00 PM on October 2 (local time).

The Tokai University team and solar car has won two consecutive victories in the solar car race, following a victory in the Global Green Challenge, the world’s largest solar car race, held in Australia in October 2009.

Official race Web site: http://www.solarchallenge.org.za/