Solar-powered cars prepare to race across Australia

As world oil prices surge, a group of hi-tech racers in the eighth World Solar Challenge are preparing to cross Australia’s vast Outback without using a single drop of gasoline. Organisers said 23 solar-powered cars from 10 countries would start Sunday in the 3,000 kilometre (1,860 mile) race from Darwin to Adelaide across some of Australia’s most forbidding terrain. The Dutch team behind the car Nuna 3 is favorite after claiming victory in the last two challenges in 2001 and 2003, when it set a record race time of 30 hours and 54 minutes. Australia’s Aurora 101 is the main challenger after a major overhaul following second placings in 2001 and 2003. Event spokeswoman Rowena Austin said the race was an important testing ground for alternative fuel technologies. “It’s particularly relevant with the oil price where it is at the moment,” she said. Event director Chris Selwood said Iran’s inaugural entry was looking doubtful after the car built by a team from the University of Tehran was apparently delayed in transit in Dubai. Selwood said race organisers would do everything they could to get the car to the starting line on Sunday if it arrived in time. afp

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