World’s First Solar-Powered Off-Road SUV Covers 1,000 km in the Desert

by Guillaume Rivard October 17, 2023

Is the sun setting on the dream of a solar-powered car for everyday use? The once-promising Lightyear One is dead now following the bankruptcy of its Dutch maker earlier this year. However, many other projects are in the works and showing plenty of potential.

Making headlines this week is the Stella Terra, which is hailed as the world’s first off-road solar car. Still a prototype yet somehow legal for road use, it was designed and engineered by students at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.

What’s so special about it? Well, it has just completed a trip of more than 1,000 km in Northern Africa—from the coast of Morrocco to the Sahara Desert—without stopping because of a lack of power. Despite the tough environment and challenging driving conditions, it only suffered a broken steering (which a local shop helped repair).

Of course, like most other solar vehicles, the Stella Terra won’t win any design contest, but it proves attractive nonetheless. After all, this is an SUV that can reach speeds of up to 145 km/h and weighs only 1,200 kg, making it a tad lighter than a Nissan Kicks. Even on a not so sunny day, it can reportedly drive up to 650-700 km.

The Stella Terra owes its amazing efficiency in part to advanced solar panels and a compact, lightweight battery. In places with limited and unreliable BEV charging infrastructure and under-developed roads, it could serve drivers well.

According to project manager Wisse Bos, the Stella Terra is five to ten years ahead of the current market. There are no plans for production at this stage, though.

If anything, “we hope this can be an inspiration to car manufacturers such as Land Rover and BMW to make it a more sustainable industry,” Bos told The Guardian. “The car was actually very comfortable in the off-road conditions as it is very light and does not get stuck.”

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