UNSW STUDENTS POWER UP SUNSWIFT

Students from the University of New South Wales, due to compete in the World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide, are the only team to have built their solar car 'from the silicon up' - and the first undergraduate students in the world to have made more than 10 solar cells.

The Sunswift team took more than 30,000 hours to build UNSW's solar car, but expect to take just 5 days to travel from Darwin to Adelaide, reaching speeds of up to 120 kms an hour.

More than 40 teams from around the world are competing in the World Solar Challenge, which kicks off from Darwin on 18 November. The race will start from The Esplanade at 8am, with the teams arriving from 6am.

"As the only team from NSW this race is a chance to pit ourselves against the best solar teams from around Australia and the world," said Karen Sharpe, a UNSW student and one of the team's drivers.

"How fast we go will depend on our race strategy. Using the same amount of energy as a toaster we can travel at 100km."

Describing what it is like to drive the Sunswift car Karen said: "Inside the car, it gets quite warm, especially in the full sun, there's no stereo and the drivers spend up to three hours at the wheel. It's not glamorous but it is fun."

Describing the process of making the solar cells the team's academic adviser, Dr Jeff Cotter said: "It took the students 10,000 hours to make 7,000 cells for the car. Making the cells into panels, which are as brittle as corn chips, and moulding them to the car took a further 5,000 hours. It is the first time that anyone has tried something this crazy, but we made it work."

The UNSW Sunswift team is confident they will be competitive, although they do have some concerns. Karen said: "I just hope it doesn't rain."

Sunswift is supported by TAFE - Sydney Institute of Technology, the Boeing Company (Hawker de Havilland), Hungry Jack's, Topsil, Michelin, the Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Composite Structures and the Kirby Foundation.

CONTACT DETAILS: To speak to the Sunswift team call Karen Sharpe or Jeff Cotter on 0418 599 868 or their satellite phone 0416 045 136. If you want archived photos, or if you have trouble contacting the team, call Victoria Collins on (02) 9385 3644.