180 high school students from around the United States and Mexico motored out of Round Rock, TX (just north of Austin) yesterday on their way to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Dell-Winston School Solar Challenge isn't exactly a balls-out blast across half of the continent, however. Run in stages from 49 miles to 184 and featuring a rest day in lovely El Paso (presumably to teach the students about the effects of smog), the route mainly stays off the highways and on secondary roads.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Solar Cars!! [PhysOrg]
Related:
Preparing For the DARPA Challenge: VW's ghostly Touareg [Internal]