On July 12 the Stanford Solar Car Project unveiled Luminos, the 11th solar-powered vehicle built by students under the auspices of the project since its founding in 1989. Luminos’s sleek, aerodynamic body and custom-built front wheel drive motors—which exceed industry standard efficiency (97 vs 93 percent)—allow the 375-pound car to reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour. The car will compete in the 2,000-mile World Solar Challenge race across the Australian outback in October.
Photo: Nathan Golshan/The Stanford Solar Car Project