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Photos: Solar racing across the outback

Solar cars from 10 countries race 3,000 kilometers across Australia in the 2005 Panasonic World Solar Challenge.
By Bill Detwiler, Contributor
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solar winner

Job Zan De Kieft of the Netherlands drove the Nuna 3 to victory in the 2005 Panasonic World Solar Challenge, a 3,000-kilometer solar car race. His vehicle set a record crossing the outback of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide in 29 hours, 11 minutes of travel time, finishing on Sept. 28, 2005. The car averaged 63.8 mph.

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light your engines

Twenty solar-powered cars from 10 countries competed in the race. Each day, drivers were allowed to travel as far as they wished, until the 5 p.m. racing curfew.

Here, the Nuna 3, from the Nuna Solar Car team of the Netherlands, begins the race on Sunday, Sept. 25.

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Taiwan's entry

The entry from Southern Taiwan University, just getting under way, shows what a tight fit the solar cars can be.

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Race map

The drivers headed due south across the rugged terrain of the Australian outback.

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scrutineering

Before the race, all of the cars were inspected by a team of "scrutineers," who check vehicle safety, acceleration, braking and adherence to regulations. Read the Leeming Sungroper scrutineering report for details.

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solar energy

This driver soaks up his own solar energy while his team works on the solar cells.

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ECO Bus

No, it's not solar-powered, but this H2 Eco Bus is an adjunct to the World Solar Challenge fleet. It's one of a number of Greenfleet-class vehicles that are demonstrating hybrid, custom and concept technologies. The bus, which is used in Perth, Western Australia, runs on hydrogen fuel cells. Its exhaust is steam.

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Honda

The Greenfleet classification lets automakers show off energy-saving and environmentally friendly vehicles such as this Smart model from DaimlerChrysler.

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Michigan

The University of Michigan's car, winner of the 2,500-mile North American Solar Challenge in July, is now taking on world-class competition. The North American "rayce" began in Austin, Texas, and finished in Calgary, Alberta, 11 days later. Michigan's team overtook the University of Minnesota's car in the final miles.

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Aurora

The Aurora Vehicle Association of Melbourne, Australia, recently set the record for the longest solar car trip: 13,054 kilometers in 24 days. The Aurora team's daily blog is documenting the current race.

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A team from Australia's Leeming Senior High School entered its Leeming Sungroper solar car into this year's competition.

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MIT

Like the Michigan crew, the team from MIT brings experience from the North American Solar Car Challenge. During a cloudy, rainy day in that race, the team moved into first place by driving more slowly and conserving energy.

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