Is It a Flying Saucer or a Solar Car?
UC Berkeley Students' Solar Car Zephyr
Heading into Road Race Competition at the American Solar Challenge
Engineering students at UC Berkeley have built a road-ready, registered solar car called Zephyr. To say the least, the vehicle is eye-catching. It closely resembles a flying saucer. But, it is a fully functional solar/electric powered car. Zephyr has been cleared for driving and has a California license plate. The UC Berkeley student inventors are putting Zephyr into national competition. It's heading for the 5 day, 1,000 mile road race between Independence, Missouri and Las Vegas, N.M. called the American Solar Challenge, which is a race among solar cars for their solar power endurance.
Unique & One-of-a-Kind
One of the creators, recent graduate Alexander Zerkle, says that the EV "is a hand-made, unique, one-of-a-kind car". He says it looks like a flying saucer because they optimized the design for energy efficiency. The vehicle weighs 500 pounds and is 2&1/2 feet tall. Zephyr can travel up to 80 mph solely powered by the Sun interacting with the solar panels across the top of the vehicle. It's a novel automotive design and a look at the future of zero emissions, green driving.
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