MIT Unveils 90 MPH Solar Car

The brains in MIT’s Solar Electric Vehicle Team have unveiled a new race car that can hit 90 MPH. Dubbed the “Eleanor,” it cost $243K and will be used in the 10th World Solar Challenge race in Australia. Looks like it belongs in space more than in the Outback to me.

Everything is packaged in a chrome-moly steel frame wrapped in carbon-fiber-and-Kevlar bodywork. The car weighs just under 500 pounds, and the top half of the body weighs just 40 pounds — with the solar cells.

That's oddly awesome

I would not want to drive it at 90mph. I would have 2 concerns:

1. suspension and tires. If they were driving this thing other than the salt flats of Utah, I would be concerned that the car had enough suspension to handle the slightest bump at 90mph.

2. That car is dangerously near the shape of an airfoil, with zero ground effects or spoilers to help keep it on the ground. It also weighs less than 500 pounds.


The car is still amazing though.

Good progress, but I'd prefer to stick with my Hemi.

yeah...but part of me can't wait to see what a willy willy will do to it :-D

That thing looks fucking sick. If it could only hoover...

Haha the car looks like a giant spoiler. They should put a spoiler on it so I can bring Xzibit in.

I can totally see em getting this car up to 90 with steel cable attached to it and then flying it like a kite to the end of the course.

I'm impressed at how lightweight they got it. I hope they win!

As the years go by and solar cell technology gets more and more efficient, these solar cars will never fail to impress.

Yeah, but when was the last time they won a race?

My alma mater's 2003 NASC winning car weighed 340 lbs. Any of the cars from the top school are capable of cruising at interstate speeds or better, but are limited to the posted speed limit in road rally competitions, mostly run on roads with less traffic. Then again, they changed the rules, making the cars a little bit safer for the racers.

90mph in a soda bottle.... thanks but no

"Now we just have to make it go around corners at more than 5 M.P.H."

Looks like something from Buck Rogers...

looks like it would be incredibly unstable at 90mph

does it go 90mph while the sun is out? Or is it more they can use it to charge a battery then go 90mph?

I sure the green people will say "Now America does not need any gas cars!"

Lets hope the poor bastard (lucky at that too) that drives this thing doesnt crash... There is a reason why we have heavy cars, because we have a standard for pulling the human body out of a wreck in one piece.

Dont get me wrong, I will drive almost anything, fast, that has an engine, wheels and brakes. But I would have to think on that one. Wouldnt be bad at slow speeds, but 90.... hmmm....

I'll keep my truck, thanks.

Cruising speed is said to be 55mph ("it will go all day at 55mph").

Top speed presumably is limited due to the 10hp motor and aerodynamics. This being a wired article, the math doesn't line up with the unit generating 1.6hp from the solar, doing 55mph at 1.6hp, and doing 90mph at 10hp (best guess is that 55mph is depleting batteries charged between stages).

The article also mentions an 85mph test run in a (prototype?, solar?) predecessor.

I'd also like to suggest a new headline: After 10 years, MIT still can't figure out that 1.6hp isn't ever going to be enough for a car (outside carefully closed tracks). Seriously, you could sink less money and come up with one of those 1000mpg cars (roughly the same level of practicality) and be much greener.