Taiwan school wins second place in Japanese solar car race
Taipei, China, August 20, 2007
Source: ChinaPost.com
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/08/20/119058/Taiwan-school.htm
Students from National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences (NKUAS) won second place in the Dream Cup solar car race in Japan earlier this month, the best ever performance of the NKUAS team in international solar car competitions, a school source said yesterday. The 18 member NKUAS team competed in the top division of the 16th Japanese solar car race held at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka City, Mie prefecture Aug. 4-5 and lost to the Japanese team, by eight rounds in endurance trials.
The Suzuka Circuit solar car race attracted 80 teams, mostly from around Japan, to compete in three divisions. The NKUAS team took part in the top division, the only foreign team competing with seven Japanese teams for the Dream Cup. The Dream Cup, which began in 1992 with an aim to promote eco-friendly automobiles, was jointly sponsored by Yomiuri Shimbun, Suzuka Circuitland Co. and Japan Automobile Federation (JAF).
After the race, NKUAS racers said that the Japanese solar cars were generally very well-built and relatively better in terms of stability than the model that the Taiwan team used. “There is certainly ample room for us to improve our equipment and techniques,” said the NKUAS racers.
Although the NKUAS-developed solar car — which uses a solar panel on par with U.S. aerospace industrial standards — is far less efficient than current commercial cars,the NKUAS team has accumulated experience and skills making and using environmentally friendly solar cars, and is seen as a rising star in the field of transportation.
The NKUAS team — the one and only team of its kind in Taiwan — has been participating in international solar car races abroad since 2003.