Solar-Powered Car to Travel Around the World

The SolarWorldGT, a 100 percent solar-powered car from Bochum, is in California today, starting its US portion of its journey around the world. The car completed its first 3,1000 miles in Australia and New Zealand, but is aiming for a 21,000 mile record-breaking drive throughout other various countries. In the next 49 days, the SolarWorldGT is expected to complete a 3,700 mile journey from California to South Carolina before heading to the next stop.

The two-seater sports car was developed by American solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld and Bochum University of Applied Sciences of Germany. Kevin Kilkelly, president of Solarworld Americas, told Business Wire, “The SolarWorldGT is an ambassador for sustainable transportation, reminding us that the power to shift our driving habits away from dirty fossil fuels is within our grasp. Clean energy from the sun is there for the taking—without depleting the Earth's riches.”

After the car reaches South Carolina, it will continue its journey on to Europe, Africa and Asia before heading back to Australia later this year.

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For those interested in seeing the car in person, see the schedule of stops below:

• 4 p.m. Feb. 3, University of California Santa Barbara, Bren School of Environmental Management, Santa Barbara, CA.

• 8:30 a.m. Feb. 6, SolarWorld Americas, Camarillo, CA.

• 4 p.m. Feb. 10, Arizona State University, Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, Tempe, AZ.

• 4 p.m. Feb. 23, Texas Christian University, School of Geology, Energy and the Environment, Fort Worth, TX.

• 4 p.m. March 9, Florida A&M University, High Performance Materials Institute, Tallahassee, FL.

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