The WSC is a solar car race competition that starts from Darwin in the north of Australia down to Adelaide in the south, traveling a total distance of 3,021 km. This year's race started on October 16, 2011. Although the Tokai University team started at the qualifying position of fifth place, from the start, the team took the lead and continually increased its leading position throughout the entire race. The solar car ran smoothly without any trouble to finally reach the finish line at Adelaide today on October 20, 2011 at around 1PM local Darwin time.
Panasonic HIT solar cells are hybrids of single crystalline silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. With high conversion efficiency, excellent temperature performance, and high energy output per unit area, the cells are ideal for obtaining maximum power within a limited space, greatly lifting the performance of the solar car in the WSC where regulations limit the total area of solar cells that can be installed on the body.
Panasonic also provided cylindrical 18650-type high-capacity lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. These high-capacity, long-enduring, and lightweight batteries utilize Panasonic's proprietary nickel-based positive electrodes and have the highest level of energy density in the industry. They can operate for long periods of time and can be linked in lightweight battery pack arrays.
Tokai University team's winning performance at this year's WSC proved the significance and superior performance of Panasonic's HIT solar cells and high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.
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