Mirage
Mirage is the seventh car designed and built by the CUER team. The team’s knowledge of automative engineering and aerodynamics has enabled them to utilise cutting-edge technology to push the boundaries of what is possible for solar-powered cars.
Mirage has an ultra-light teardrop profile that places aerodynamics at the forefront.
With optimum performance in mind, the team has created a much smaller car than most other teams, with a smaller surface area of solar cells. These cells are made with satellite-grade high efficiency Gallium Arsenide, and for further efficiency the team have developed a solar tracking array which follows the sun’s trajectory and optimises the capture of sunlight throughout the day.
What People Are Saying
“A bicycle has one human-horse power (300W), and Mirage has just four human-horsepower’s. A bicycle on the Tour de France can achieve more than 25 mph over 2,200 miles, and Mirage will travel more than 60 mph over 1,870 miles. However, my road car needs 1,500 human-horse powers to get me from A to B and produces toxic gases. In that respect, it really is incredible just how efficient transport can be.”
— Tony Purnell, Head of Technical Development at British Cycling and a member of CUER’s steering committee
“We have a built in passive cooling system this year, but nonetheless temperatures are expected to soar as high as 40°C. In addition to the drivers, a group of 20 CUER team members will follow the car each day, providing engineering support as required. It’s a massive achievement for us to get to Australia, and we couldn’t have done it without all our supporters, but it’s not over yet!”
— Xiaofan Zhang, Project Manager at CUER 2017 - 2019
“We are proud to once again support the CUER team at the World Solar Challenge 2017. We are delighted to support initiatives such as this which encourage engineers of the future to put their skills into practice to develop real world applications. We wish all those involved the very best of luck.”