They traveled from New York to Los Angeles in a homemade car and set a Cannonball Run record.
A group of young engineers — Will Jones, Kyle Samluk, and Danny Ezzo — covered approximately 4,800 kilometers from New York to Los Angeles in 13 days, 15 hours, and 19 minutes, setting a new Cannonball Run record
Their car, called the Sunstrider, weighs only 254 kg and consists of a tubular frame, corrugated plastic, and various 3D printed parts. Energy is provided by eight solar panels and a homemade battery with 320 cells. The vehicle is equipped with three motors and three bicycle wheels.
The team faced numerous challenges during the trip. In the desert, the temperature inside the car reached 53°C, forcing the drivers to change every 30–45 minutes. They also had to replace a charge controller that failed in Desert Center, California.
Danny Ezzo commented on the achievement: «This means a lot to us as a team. All of the 100-hour work weeks, missed family gatherings and sacrifices we’ve made have been worth it».
Although the travel time is well beyond the 2020 record for conventional cars (25 hours), this is the first time a solar car has completed this route. The Cannonball Sun project cost the team approximately $12,000, 90% of which was the engineers’ own money.
Despite technical limitations, such as a maximum speed of 88 km/h, the team successfully completed the entire route. During the descent along Angeles Crest
The young engineers are considering future projects, such as traveling in a solar car across Alaska or along the Pan American Highway. However, their career plans may affect these ambitions: Jones has a job offer from SpaceX, Samluk has a job offer from Ford, and Ezzo is still studying at Michigan Technological University.
Source: TheVerge