FIRST SOLAR CAR RACES

Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins were the first solar car racers who completed a Solar Trek from Perth to Sydney, Australia in 1983.

Next in 1986, Denis Bartel drove the first solar powered vehicle named 'The Spirit of Adelaide", to cross Australia from North to South (Darwin to Adelaide).
Denis Bartel and 'The Spirit of Adelaide' - Alice Springs 1986
In part, this was a tribute to a famous explorer; John McDouall Stuart, who on horseback opened up the centre of Australia in 1861, to the 100th anniversary of the motor car, and to celebrate South Australia’s 150th Jubilee Year

Then in the 1987 race, the GM Sunraycer completed the same North-South 3010 km trip with an average speed of 67 kmh, setting the scene for an extensive research and development program among the teams.
Sunlight is an excellent energy source, providing 1,000 watts per square meter on bright days. Hence, the future of using solar power is very exciting, except that to date conversion efficiencies are around the 18% mark for commercially priced cells. Solar-powered cars all get their fuel from the same place - the Sun. The cars use hundreds of photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Each cell produces about half a volt of electricity.
When the Solar Race teams design their electrical systems they have to allow for variations in sunlight. The Sun's energy powers the car's motor and charges a battery for use when the Sun is hidden by a cloud. If a car is designed to put all of its energy toward driving and keeps nothing in reserve, it will come to a halt in cloudy weather. If too much energy is diverted to the battery, the engine runs too slowly to keep up in the race. The ratio of energy stored and energy used directly, is therefore quite an important compromise.
While engineers and still have many problems to tackle before solar power becomes an efficient and economical way to fuel vehicles, it is hoped that the constant development from racing events, will hasten a solution. The best bit about using solar power for transportation is that it's pollution free and inexhaustible.