IDrive shifted into high gear last month, sponsoring and supporting UC Berkeley’s CalSol racing team at one of the biggest solar-powered races on the planet, the 2015 Formula Sun Grand Prix.
CalSol’s car, the bullet-like Zephyr, zipped around on the scorching hot Circuit of the Americas, where some of the world’s most heated races take place. This rollercoaster of a track, spread out on 1,500 hilly acres just outside downtown Austin, Texas, posed a challenge for our driver–or shall we say IDriver–who whirred through 20 winding turns and an intimidating 133-foot hill. Zephyr managed to place 7th after completing an impressive 110 laps on the power of the blazing Texas sunshine.
There’s nothing like the smell of burning rubber in the morning. But it’s more than the thrill of the race driving us to invest in solar-powered technology. We think solar is the energy of the future.
It’s just a matter of time before solar becomes widely available to the average consumer. Just take solar transportation, for instance. The first ever family-sized solar car hit the road back in 2014, traveling up to 500 miles on a single charge. (Compare that to the 2015 Tesla Model S, which runs for about 208 – 270 miles battery only). One day solar cars might be the norm, saving us money on fuel, and ensuring that zero emissions vehicles become the standard. And that’s just one aspect of our daily lives that solar power can improve.
CalSol is pushing toward that brighter future with a team comprised of some of UC Berkeley’s most industrious students. They use engineering, project management, and business development skills to innovate fully solar-powered technology. Thanks to teams like CalSol, solar will one day be a powerful alternative energy source, fueling our future. We’re behind them all the way. In fact, we’ll be back to sponsor CalSol at the 2016 FSGP.
