NOV 18, 2000 - Solar Powered "CASCADE CRUISER" Car Expected to Hit 100 mph
	FREEMONT, Calif., November 18, 2000—The “Cascade Cruiser,” featured at the San Francisco Auto Show November 18-26, looks more like a flying wing than a car. Its thin, knife-like shape slices efficiently through the air. The large expanse on top provides a surface for hundreds of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight falling on them directly into electricity for the electric motor in the car’s single rear wheel. Powered solely by sunlight, the Cascade Cruiser has already sped to some 80 mph—while consuming no more power than an ordinary hair drier or thirty 60-Watt light bulbs. But the Solar Motions team of volunteers that built the car and races it looks forward to reaching 100 mph with more powerful cells it has recently installed. The Solar Motions team, including about 40 volunteer engineers and other solar power enthusiasts, has become one of the most competitive teams in the world. The team plans to compete in next summer’s American Solar Challenge race for solar-powered vehicle that will run the length of historic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. In 1999, the car qualified second overall for Australia’s annual World Solar Challenge, but had to settle for an 11th-place finish after a minor mechanical failure forced a half-day delay for repairs. With design revisions now in place, the team would like to return to Australia for the 2001 running of the Solar Challenge—with much greater expectations of winning it. If that should occur, the Cascade Cruiser would be the first American car to win the event since 1987. With materials worth more than $1 million, the team could not have built or raced the car without substantial sponsorship. The Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation has supported their efforts. Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications that designs, builds, and tests satellites, has been the team ‘s primary corporate sponsor. TECSTAR, a company that produces a wide range of solar cells used on satellites, contributed the high-efficiency photovoltaic cells that cover virtually the entire top surface of the car. Solar Motions was the only team at the 1999 World Solar Challenge to use such space-grade cells. They continue to seek additional sponsors, and invite any interested parties to contact them. While cars powered only by the sun are not practical—you couldn’t drive one at night, and you might only poke along on a cloudy day. But the technology developed for them should find its way into the growing number of cars powered by hybrid gas-electric systems and fuel cells expected soon. They can benefit from the same lightweight, high-efficiency electrical components developed for the Cascade Cruiser and tested in solar car races. The Solar Motions team has extended an open invitation to any automotive journalist who would like to drive the Cascade Cruiser.