Sun for the road
Photo
Marcelo da Luz, from Toronto, is on a 10,000 mile journey to Inuvik, Canada, the northern-most point in the world reachable by road in a car powered by the sun.
ORFORDVILLE — Marcelo da Luz knows how to attract a crowd.
Rather, his car does.
People drive erratically as they strain to get a look at his solar-powered vehicle along back roads.
Others show up in parking lots to peer at his creation while the solar panels collect the sun’s rays.
Such was the case Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Knutes Bar & Grill, 206 E. Beloit St., Orfordville, where he and his crew of two stopped to recharge “The Power of One.”
“Some people go to the gas station. We go to the parking lot,” da Luz jokes.
Orfordville was just one stop on a 10,000 mile journey to set a world distance record. Da Luz started in Toronto and plans to end around the end of the month in Inuvik, Canada, the northern-most point in the world reachable by road and also “the land of the midnight sun.”
But for da Luz, it’s not about the record.
A former flight attendant, da Luz was inspired to build a solar vehicle in 1987 from watching a glimpse on the news about the first World Solar Challenge. His biggest challenge, he said, was convincing himself he could do it.
He describes his sun-loving car simply: It’s an electric car, but instead of plugging it in to the wall, you plug it in to the sun.
He knows it’s not a practical vehicle nor the answer to our transportation needs. But it’s a step in the right direction that he hopes will inspire others to consider solar vehicles.
He holds no patents on its design; his goal is to promote the use of sustainable energy. If people can learn from his design, go for it, he said.
“My goal is to save the planet,” he said.
Waiting for the government to solve the world’s problems isn’t going to happen, he said.
“I want to do my share for the environment, and this is how I chose to do it,” he said.
The 550-pound vehicle is only 3 feet tall, 15 feet long and 5 feet wide and sits on three tires. It goes from 0 to 50 mph in six seconds, reaching top speed at 75 mph. The car was built with the help of volunteers and sponsors from around the world.
Da Luz travels on secondary roads, averaging 250 to 300 miles a day. Reclined under the solar-panel top, da Luz looks out a small windshield while looking at a portable viewer attached to his sunglasses that shows a computer monitor with a camera view of what’s behind the vehicle.
Born in Brazil, da Luz lives in Toronto, where he has one problem: He can’t drive his car there. The government won’t issue him a license to drive on the streets, he said, although he can drive it anywhere else in the world.
Da Luz took his car to Barbados to obtain a license, which is valid around the world.
His car has attracted international media attention, and this year organizers of the Great Race chose da Luz’s car to represent the future.
“It was kind of exciting because GM, Ford, Chrysler, all those car companies, they have futuristic vehicles. And there are solar cars being built all over the world … with more advanced technology than we have here. But they chose this car to represent the future,” he said.
“It’s a feel-good compliment to the car. We’re not engineers. We’re just ordinary people trying to make a difference.”
ON THE WEB
To learn more about Marcelo da Luz’s solar-powered vehicle and his “adventure,” visit www.xof1.com. People also can donate to the project at that site.
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