Interstate solar car race stops in at Darwin school
Teams are readying the engines of their solar-powered cars to compete in the World Solar Challenge this weekend. The 3000km race starts in the NT and finishes in South Australia, but one team made a pit stop at a local Top End school to inspire the next generation of racers ahead of the big journey.
Transcript
00:00 Testing out the driver's seat was enough to inspire primary school student Mia Bromley.
00:06 Yeah, I think it's really cool and I might be an engineer when I grow up.
00:10 The Flinders Automotive Solar Team from South Australia gave Palmerston Christian College students a look under the bonnet of their race-ready electric solar car.
00:20 Must touch, feel and smell. No substitute for it. And when the car comes off the back of the trailer, 99% of the times it's a phenomenal reaction.
00:30 Instead of using metal for their windows on the side, they've actually used 3D printed stuff which is really cool and it's less weight.
00:38 Students learned about the capabilities of the Investigator 4 which will take to the Stuart Highway for a gruelling four-day race to Adelaide starting this Sunday.
00:48 Even after nine hours of racing, this car won't stop working. Crews will park it facing the sun, raise its tail so that it can capture the final rays of energy, recharging the battery, ready to race again the next day.
01:03 The visit has left students curious about a career in green energy.
01:07 It's something I'm really interested in because I know it's really cool and electric cars are probably going to be our future in what we're driving.
01:15 It's a wonderful thing to get out in the community and show these cars off because these guys are the next engineers of the future.
01:23 Despite being years away from finishing school, these kids aren't afraid to dream big.
01:29 Definitely when I go to university, hopefully they'll have a solar car competition and definitely I'll build a really big solar car and definitely win no matter what happens.
01:39 Inspiring future engineers, one car at a time.
01:42 time.
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