Brisbane will be home to a design and manufacturing hub producing the world’s first commercial and road- registered fully solar powered electric cars.
A new facility for the project at Macarthur Avenue, Eagle Farm was opened by Queensland’s Minister for Energy, Mark Bailey, yesterday.
The solar-electric cars will be made by Team Arrow. You may have heard the name before – Team Arrow has previously competed in the World Solar Challenge; the world’s most prestigious solar car race that is held in Australia every two years.
Team Arrow was the highest ranked Australian finisher in the last World Solar Challenge and also won the mechanical design award in the Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge.
The prototype vehicle under construction for next year’s World Solar Challenge “Cruiser” class will be road registered from the outset and used as a base to develop a model destined for the general market. The Cruiser Class was established to encourage solar cars designed for practicality and acceptance.
Those interested in buying a vehicle will need to have substantial cash reserves. According to an ABC report; the custom-made vehicles could initially cost $250,000. Mr. Tuesley says they’ve already taken orders.
The Arrow STF (Sports Touring Framework) will be a two seater solar electric racing car, boasting 98% efficient motors, five square metres of 24.4% efficient solar panels and a lithium ion battery pack. It will have a range of 300 – 400 km range at highway speeds and 1000+ km range at city driving speeds.