PH-made solar car places 3rd in Australia race

MANILA, Philippines – The sun shown brightly indeed for Sikat II-A, the Philippine-made solar car that came in 3rd place in a 6-day race of solar-powered cars in Adelaide, Australia. (READ: Latest PH-made solar car to race in Australia)

Sikat II-A outpaced solar cars from the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and Turkey to bag the bronze medal in the Adventure Class category of the 2013 World Solar Challenge. Australia’s vehicle, Aurora Evolution, took home first prize while Chile’s Antakari came in second.

The car, built and driven by mechanical and electrical engineering students and faculty members of De La Salle University, travelled a total of 2,487 solar kilometers from Darwin to Adelaide. It took 6 days to complete the race but Sikat II-A finally crossed the finishline at around 2pm (Manila time) on October 11.

A solar kilometer is the distance traveled by a vehicle running on energy from the sun.

A core group of 20 students and teachers worked on the car for a period of 7 months, refining and improving the design of an earlier model, Sikat II. Sikat II-A is the 4th reincarnation of Sinag, the first solar-powered car made in the Philippines.

“I feel so proud of the Sikat Solar Team for their accomplishments in spite of the limited resources and their hectic schedules. All the hard work and sleepless nights paid off in the form their 3rd place finish,”  exclaimed Project Manager Richard Li.

This the 26th year the World Solar Challenge has been held. A total of 42 teams from 24 countries competed across the 3 categories in the race: Challenger Class, Cruiser Class and Adventure Class. 

The World Solar Challenge aims to be a venue in which young scientists and engineers can celebrate and promote the latest developments in renewable energy and its application to transportation. – Rappler.com