Solar cars roll across Earth's driest desert
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The second annual Solar Challenge has begun in Chile's Atacama desert, where 15 solar-powered cars rolled out of an old salt mine Thursday.
The solar-powered prototypes will travel more than 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) through the world's driest desert in the four-day, multinational race.
There are two categories: cars powered only by solar energy, and three-wheeled models that get a little help from pedals pushed by the drivers themselves.
The cars had to be built for less than $7,000, forcing their makers to be creative more than wealthy. Most of the teams represent university engineering departments.
The big finish comes Monday, and the winners get prizes of $30,000 in the solar category and $9,000 in the hybrid category.
The solar-powered prototypes will travel more than 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) through the world's driest desert in the four-day, multinational race.
There are two categories: cars powered only by solar energy, and three-wheeled models that get a little help from pedals pushed by the drivers themselves.
The cars had to be built for less than $7,000, forcing their makers to be creative more than wealthy. Most of the teams represent university engineering departments.
The big finish comes Monday, and the winners get prizes of $30,000 in the solar category and $9,000 in the hybrid category.
Alright! ... now I prefer research more into eliminating the drivers all together.... a computer can driver better than a human! Skynet where are you!
Awesome idea. Instead of our government spending millions in failed solar companies, why not just a few thousand dollars in prized to inspired inventors like these?
 @Magic 8 Ball 1954 Photovoltaic technology is born in the United States when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labsâthe first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sunâs energy into power to run everyday electrical equipment.  Bell Telephone Laboratories produced a silicon solar cell with 4% efficiency and later achieved 11% efficiency.Dr. Elliot Berman, with help from Exxon Corporation, designs a significantly less costly solar cell, bringing price down from $100 a watt to $20 a watt.The Institute of Energy Conversion is established at the University of Delaware to perform research and development on thin-film photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal systems, becoming the worldâs first laboratory dedicated to PV research and development.David Carlson and Christopher Wronski, RCA Laboratories, fabricate first amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells.The University of South Wales breaks the 20% efficiency barrier for silicon solar cells under 1-sun conditions.1992 University of South Florida develops a 15.9% efficient thin-film photovoltaic cell made of cadmium telluride, breaking the 15% barrier for the first time for this technology.The National Renewable Energy Laboratory develops a solar cellâmade from gallium indium phosphide and gallium arsenideâthat becomes the first one to exceed 30% conversion efficiency.Two new thin-film solar modules, developed by BP Solarex, break previous performance records.
Like I said, universities and companies.
 @Magic 8 Ball These innovators didn't invent any of the solar panels or motors used in these cars.  Those were all developed by R&D at universities and some of those same solar companies you are poo pooing.  Yes some of them failed but more add to the increases in efficiency of the solar panels and motors that are propelling these cars.