Meet the Solaris solar car concept

When Mazda and Australia‘s Aurora Solar Vehicle Association get together, it would appear, very good things happen, at least insofar as Aurora Survivor 2050 solar car competition goes.

Indeed, the winner is this beauty by Ali Jafari, which comes to us via Yanko Design.


The competition, which was open to design students attending Monash University in Melbourne, challenged participants to create a solar car with “an approachable and futuristic, yet practical, four-wheeled design,” as well as room for at least two people and a top speed of approximately 150 kilometers an hour (around 93 miles per hour).

Aurora plans to develop the winning design, known as the Solaris concept car, over the next two years, with the goal of competing in the 2013 World Solar Challenge.

This annual event Down Under challenges solar cars in a race around 186 miles long, this year from Darwin to Adelaide.


Of course, development takes capital, and towards that end, Aurora is currently looking for development partners to help make the Solaris concept car a reality.

* Susan DeFreitas, EarthTechling