Sikat Updates
Shell backs RP’s second solar car
13/01/2010
The Philippines’ second solar car, Sikat, was officially launched on January 12, 2010 at De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila and will kick off a historic 50-day tour across the country.
The tour will begin and end at the DLSU grounds, where Sikat and its predecessor, Sinag, were designed and built by DLSU engineering students and faculty members, in partnership with The Philippine Solar Car Society, Inc. and major sponsors Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Ford Philippines, Motolite and Sunpower Corporation, among others.
From DLSU, Sikat will proceed to the Technological University of the Philippines in Manila and 26 other universities and malls in key cities across the country. The car will be featured in exhibitions in all its stops, which include SM Cagayan de Oro, University of Mindanao, La Salle Bacolod, and University of San Carlos in Cebu.
The solar car’s improved design features new generation sunpower cells and a sleeker, more manoeuvrable and aerodynamic design. Like Sinag, Sikat’s body is made of lightweight carbon fibre found in current F1 car models. Sikat can also be driven at night, on its batteries, for eight straight hours.
The road show is aimed at promoting the use of solar energy and preparing the Sikat team for the 2011 World Solar Car Challenge in Australia, where Sinag finished 12th among 40 entries in 2007. [Christine Guison]