We live in a mobile society. But the cars we drive require too much gas, plus they pollute the air. Eventually, the natural resources used to make gas will run out. So what happens then? Many people think solar-powered automobiles are the answer. To learn more about this type of transportation, teams from universities and corporate organizations gather in Australia every two years for a solar car race.

The race is called the World Solar Challenge. Candidates for this tournament must design their own cars. The teams keep all their plans confidential. They don’t interact with other teams because the race is very competitive. And these cars aren’t just enhanced and modified versions of normal cars. They are completely different.

The cars only have room for one person and are very simple inside—they don’t even have a cushion for the driver to sit on. These cars are shorter and much more flat than normal cars. Most importantly, the cars incorporate solar panels onto the outside that lie parallel to each other. These panels are made from materials that take in light from the sun and turn it into electric energy. That’s how they move.

These cars race over 3,000 kilometers across the Australian territories. The drivers have to heed strict guidelines. They must stop at certain intervals to charge their batteries. And unlike normal race cars, they can’t go very fast. They have to drive at the normal speed limits. Although the drivers want to finish the race quickly, that is not the main goal. The objective is to see how well the cars work under normal driving conditions.

Because of the World Solar Challenge, a new era in car making and in driving is beginning. People may ridicule the solar cars because they look strange, but this is a phenomenon that isn’t going away. Using the technology from the vehicles, car makers will eventually create solar cars for the rest of us.