HCM City's Department of Science and Technology and the Energy Saving Centre have launched the "Solar Car Racing 2011" competition in a bid to explore the potential of green transport.
HCM City's Department of Science and Technology and the Energy Saving Centre have launched the "Solar Car Racing 2011" competition in a bid to explore the potential of green transport.
The competition, being held in Viet Nam for the first time, has attracted the participation of 45 teams from nine universities and 23 enterprises from Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and HCM City.
Each team was provided with a solar battery made domestically to power their prototype car, which must be able to travel between 16kph and 40kph.
The competition, which will have three rounds, will start on October 24. The final will take place on December 12.
Huynh Kim Tuoc, director of HCM City's Energy Conservation Centre, said he hoped the competition would raise awareness about how solar energy can reduce the nation's carbon footprint.
"The research and development of renewable energies would also be promoted," Tuoc said.
Hoang Cuong, director of An Lac Company, which is entering the competition, said most firms in the auto industry would dearly love to design and build a viable solar-powered car.
Cuong also said it should not be forgotten that hybrid vehicles that used both solar energy and diesel or petrol would also help to reduce green house gas emissions.
Privately owned solar powered cars were already in existence in a number of countries such as the Netherlands and Japan, said Pham Xuan Hien, a lecturer at HCM City University of Natural Sciences' Faculty of Electronic Physics. He said he hoped to see solar powered cars on the streets of Viet Nam.
The competition was also a good chance for students to demonstrate their creativity and to get involved in energy saving strategies, he added.
Le Hoai Quoc, director of the Management Board of High-tech Industrial Zones, said he hoped the competition would prove that solar powered vehicles were feasible, practical and affordable.
(Source: VNS)
