Solar-Powered Off-Road Vehicle to Tackle 1,000 km Journey Across Morocco

After undergoing tests in the Netherlands, the Stella Terra off-road vehicle will make its first long-distance trip to Morocco this October. The car should cover a distance of more than 1,000 km, cross various landscapes and end its journey in the Sahara desert, reports the website Interesting Engineering, adding that tests will be carried out under different conditions.

Developed by students from Eindhoven University of Technology, who work in the Solar Team Eindhoven group, which has already built other solar-powered cars for road use only, Stella Terra can reach 145 km/h. This first fully solar-powered off-road car weighs 1,200 kg and has a range of 630 km. Its energy comes from the PV panels installed on its roof.

"The car has to withstand the difficult off-road conditions while remaining efficient and light enough to be powered by the sun," explains Wisse Bos, director of the Solar Team Eindhoven, in a press release. "That’s why we had to design almost everything ourselves, from the suspensions to the inverters for the solar panels." Stella Terra would be "5 to 10 years ahead" of current PV-powered vehicles on the market, the researchers estimate, adding that this vehicle complies with road regulations.