Houston Solar Race Team in Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Some of Mississippi’s brightest high school students were in Columbus today to speak to the Exchange Club. The Houston Solar Race Team presented the Sundancer, a solar powered car they built themselves.  The car has driven students on the Houston Solar Race Team straight to first place finishes for the past 12 years in Cross Country competitions.

Exchange Club Member Judge Jim Davidson said, “If you think about fossil fuels and how we depend on them for food and everything else, we’ve got to look at alternatives. I think this is a good alternative.”

The Houston high school students are trying to raise enough money for two Cross Country races next year.  In July they’ll race from Dallas to Los Angeles and later compete in the Australian World Solar Challenge in October.

The solar car was created in about 18 months, from designing to the testing phase. The Solar Race Team says the technologies used to build this car are the wave of the future.

In the next 10 to 20 years, the engineering techniques used to build this solar car will also be utilized in architecture, automotives and electrical power grids.  The solar car uses panels to store energy in a battery bank and an electric motor to run.

The Houston Solar Race Team is sponsored by private donations and local businesses.