Polytechnique Montréal’s solar car will be cruising along Ontario roads this weekend!
Saturday and Sunday, be sure to wave to Polytechnique Montréal students as they pilot their solar-powered vehicle Esteban 9 on Ontario roads.
On October 6 and 7, Esteban 9 will travel nearly 800 km in 2 days with a power plant equivalent to that of a hair dryer!
Stops with demonstrations in Cornwall, Kingston, Peterborough, Barrie and Tobermory.
Full itinerary: http://bit.ly/2Pfn7oV
An award-winning, road-proven vehicle
Esteban 9 finished 1st at the international Formula Sun Grand Prix 2018 competition, held from July 10 to 12 in Hastings, Nebraska.
This past July, Esteban 9 raced across several U.S. states in the American Solar Challenge, a road rally from Omaha, Nebraska, to Bend, Oregon, covering some 3,000 km in 41 hours, 36 minutes—good enough for a 4th-place finish.
Some facts about Esteban 9
- Weight: 198 kg (without the driver).
- Construction: carbon-fibre.
- Dimensions: over 3 m long and 2 m wide.
- Top speed: 115 km/h.
- Autonomy: 6 hours in cloudy conditions.
- The car’s solar panels charge the battery whenever the sun is shining, meaning that Esteban 9 can operate in good or inclement weather using the energy stored in its battery.
- The car is named Esteban after the hero of the French-Japanese animated TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold (Les mystérieuses cités d’or / Taiyō no ko Esuteban).
- The Esteban project was initiated in 1998 by students at Polytechnique. Esteban 9 is the team’s 9th prototype vehicle.
The Ontario journey
- Nearly 800 km over 2 days.
- Real-time GPS tracking and detailed route map available on the Esteban Project website at http://esteban.polymtl.ca/ontario2018/ (beginning Saturday morning).
- 3 drivers will take turns at the wheel of the vehicle during the rally.
- The goal of this venture is to promote renewable energy sources and prove to emerging engineers as well as the general public that covering long distances in a solar-powered vehicle is possible. The drive will also allow the team to gather new data on the car’s performance.
Team members are available for interviews.
Full itinerary: http://bit.ly/2Pfn7oV
Real-time GPS tracking and detailed route map on the Esteban Project website: http://esteban.polymtl.ca/ontario2018/ (beginning Saturday morning).
Esteban Project promotional video: http://bit.ly/2RxjXhM
Photos and media kit: http://bit.ly/2OD6u9t
