Hoping to promote solar energy locally, a team of fourth-year engineering students at the American University of Beirut have successfully built the first solar powered vehicle in the Arab region. Led by Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Daniel Asmar, the team of Elie Maalouf, Amin Kanafani, Ahmed Hammoud, and Rawad al-Jurdi created the one-seater steel-and-fiberglass vehicle that was christened Apollo’s Chariot. The vehicles measures five-and-a-half meters in length and two meters in width. The 700kg vehicle features 36 small and eight large photovoltaic cells that generate 1000 watts of power used to run the vehicle. Built after nine months of hard work, the Chariot cost about $25,000 and almost the entire amount was raised through several local and foreign sponsors. The team is aiming at competing in next year’s World Solar Challenge, representing Lebanon and AUB for the first time and we hope their efforts pay off.
Source: Daily Star
