Solar car sponsored by the IMechE exhibited at the UN Climate Change Conference

The solar car team from Durham University is the first ever solar car team to exhibit at the prestigious global event

The Durham University Solar Car (DUSC), that has been sponsored by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, was recently exhibited at the at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco.

A team at the university that has been designing, building and racing electric vehicles since 2002 is the only solar car team to ever be invited, as well as being the first ever solar car to team to attend the event.

Tobias McBride, head of the business team at Durham University Electric Motorsport, said: “It was beyond our wildest expectations. To exhibit our car at a leading business forum is huge for us. Durham put IMechE and other sponsors on the world stage. We’ve seen incredible interest in the technology we have developed with assistance from the IMechE and we couldn’t have been happier with how it went. We’re going back to Durham with hope and ambition. We’ve had some really exciting proposals.”

The DUSC, which took three years to develop, uses 391 silicon solar cells to reach up to 70mph, weighs 200kg and uses as much power as it takes to boil a kettle, according to McBride.

The next step for the DUSC team is to prepare for the World Solar Challenge 2017 in Adelaide, where more than 50 teams from around the world will compete on a 3000km track using vehicles powered only by solar energy.

McBride added: “We see a big opportunity to take the technology to applications we haven’t seen before, like solar powered buses and commercialise it.”

The goal of the DUSC team is to change perceptions of eco-friendly technology, promote sustainable engineering and educate the public about climate change.

You can find out more about the DUSC team by visiting them on Twitter (@DUEM_Electric) and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DUEM.Electric.