Record breaking
Lack of sunshine did not deter a team of students from attempting to break a five-year-old record for the fastest solar car crossing of Australia from Perth to Sydney. The students from the University of South Wales, Australia, battled rains, floods and dust storms as they drove the solar-powered NRMA Sunswift II for nearly 4,200 km to the Sydney Opera House. However, they failed to break the record by two days. Sunswift II, designed and built by students, was powered by BP Solar's Saturn cells. It weighed 180 kg, including 30 kg of lithium batteries.