An electric car that can drive from London to Edinburgh without needing to recharge has been developed by students from the University of Cambridge.
The ‘Helia’ has a top speed of 75 mph (120 kph) and can cruise at 50 mph (80 kph) with four passengers using the equivalent of the power needed to boil a kettle.
This is a tenth of the energy consumption rate of commercially-sold electric cars.
Furthermore, despite being a quarter of the size, the Helia has twice the range of a Tesla — even without using its rooftop solar panels.
It can be charged using a standard electric vehicle charger.
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An electric car that can drive from London to Edinburgh without needing to recharge has been developed by students from the University of Cambridge
WHAT ARE THE HELIA’S SPECS?
Pictured, the Helia
Battery range — 559 miles (900 km)
Top speed — 75 mph (120 kph)
Solar panel size — 54 sqft (5 sqm)
Solar panel efficiency — 25 per cent
Kerb weight — 0.54 tons (550 kg)
Construction — carbon fibre chassis
Occupancy — 4 people
The Helia is the brainchild of the Cambridge University Eco Racing team — which is made up of 20 undergraduate students and programme director Xiaofan Zhang.
The 4-seat electric car was developed in partnership with a number of British car manufacturers and engineering firms, including Formaplex, Delta Motorsport and 8D Closures.
The vehicle’s high performance and energy efficiency comes from its lightweight and aerodynamic construction and low rolling-resistance tyres.
The Helia took the Cambridge University Eco Racing team around two years to develop.
The Helia was first unrelieved during an event at the London Science Museum on August 19, 2019.
The team recently put their car through its paces, competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia on 13–14 October.
This challenge saw solar vehicles from across the globe race a gruelling 1,878 mile (3,022 kilometre) across the Outback from Darwin to Adelaide over six days.
Unfortunately, the Helia was forced to retire from the competition on the second day, as a result of facing tough ground conditions that depleted the car’s battery.
Despite this disappointment, the Cambridge team were awarded third place for practicality in the competition’s ‘cruiser’ class for multiple-occupancy vehicles.
The ‘Helia’ has a top speed of 75 mph (120 kph) and can cruise at 50 mph (80 kph) with four passengers using the equivalent of the power needed to boil a kettle
The Helia was first unrelieved by the Cambridge University Eco Racing team during an event held at the London Science Museum on August 19, 2019
The team recently put their car through its paces, competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia on 13–14 October
The challenge saw solar vehicles from across the globe race a gruelling 1,878 mile (3,022 kilometre) across the Outback from Darwin to Adelaide over the course of six days
Unfortunately, the Helia was forced to retire from the competition on the second day, as a result of facing tough ground conditions that depleted the car’s battery
‘[The Cambridge University Eco Racing team] was founded in 2008 and built Affinity, a very large single seat road legal solar car that drove from Lands’ End to John O’Groats,’ said Mr Zhang.
‘Now, just 10 years later it’s incredible to see how Electric Vehicle technology has developed so far in such a short space of time.’
‘These innovations have allowed us to build a four seat car that is much faster, more efficient and practical.’
Despite being a quarter of the size, the Helia has twice the range of a Tesla — even without using its rooftop solar panels. It can be charged using a standard electric vehicle charger
The Helia is the brainchild of the Cambridge University Eco Racing team — which is made up of 20 undergraduate students and programme director Xiaofan Zhang
The Helia was first unrelieved by the Cambridge University Eco Racing team during an event held at the London Science Museum on August 19, 2019
‘Currently there is a lot of news about the decline of the UK’s automotive industry but working with our partners has shown us that there is a very strong network of automotive companies,’ said Mr Zhang.
‘Many of our partners are world leaders in automotive engineering, R&D and high value manufacturing but are not necessarily household names.’
‘The UK has an abundance of this expertise and we have been very fortunate to leverage their capabilities in Helia.’
The Helia will reportedly be touring schools across the UK next summer, with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers.
The 4-seat electric car was developed in partnership with a number of British car manufacturers and engineering firms, including Delta Motorsport and 8D Closures
The vehicle’s high performance and energy efficiency comes from its lightweight and aerodynamic construction and low rolling-resistance tyres
