12 November 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN , İSTANBUL
ARIBA IV, a solar-powered automobile designed by the students of İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ), has received the Best Newcomer award at the World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia. In the race, which took place on Oct. 24-31, ARIBA IV, which was sponsored by Castrol, crossed Australia from north to south, a total of 3,030 kilometers.
The İTÜ team, which won the award in their first competition, stated that they expect to finish next year’s race with even better results due to the great experience they had this year.The challenge, in which cars race from Darwin to Adelaide, showcases hybrid, electric, solar, low emission and alternative energy vehicles. Despite facing some problems both before and during the competition, the İTÜ team completed the race successfully. The race also gave the students the opportunity to have a closer look at progress in the field of solar energy. The İTÜ solar car team, which was established by students in the electronic engineering department and which is currently composed of 20 students from the electronic, aircraft, control and chemical engineering departments, has won the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) Formula-G races since 2004.
