The Power of One Solar Car Project

 

The Power of One is a project brought from the heart and imagination of Brazilian born Canadian resident, Marcelo da Luz.  The project’s mission is to fulfill a dream and inspire others to accomplish their dreams in a positive way to benefit mankind and the environment.  The Power of One is committed to promoting the use of clean and sustainable energy through the development and building of a functioning solar powered car, the X0F1, that’s currently setting world distance records across North America. 

 

On June 12^th, 2008 the epic journey began by the shores of the Great Lakes.  The XOF1 solar car reached the Arctic Circle just 46 days later, breaking the world distance record for a solar car crossing the Continental Divide 8 times.

Today, the XOF1 solar car continues its journey across North America with plans to continue north from Florida to Washington, DC.

 

XOF1 solar car

 

Using only sunshine as fuel, the XOF1 solar car can achieve the top speed of 75 miles per hour.  The car can accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in 6 seconds.  It is equipped with 893 mono-crystalline solar cells.  On a bright, sunny day, the car can go 300 miles. With a full battery charge, the car can go 130 miles at night.  There are 26 lithium ion batteries. The solar array generates 900 watts of energy, which is less energy than an average toaster.

 

Some stats for the solar car:

Vehicle mass:        470 lbs. (without driver)
Occupants:            1     (driver)
 Car Length:           5.0m, 16 feet    
 Car Width:            1.8m,   6 feet    
 Car Height:           0.90m,   3 feet    
 Ground clearance:  0.40m, 1.3 feet

 

 

Records Broken: 

 

*World distance record holder

*The XOF1 is the first solar car to reach the Arctic Circle.
 *The first solar car to run in sub-zero temperature.
 *The first solar car to drive on ice roads.
 *The first solar car to be driven on over 1000 miles of gravel road.
  

About the driver, inventor, and builder of the X0F1:

 

Marcelo da Luz was born in Brazil where he attended public schools, and vividly remembers a teacher explaining that pollution was the price of progress. At a young age, Marcelo believed that progress should be defined by improvement in quality of life for not just present generations but for those who would come after.  This idea of sustainable living sparked Marcelo’s lifelong interest in protecting the environment and promoting the use of clean sustainable energy for the entire world. 

 

As a teenager, Marcelo was inspired to build his own solar car when he watched a television program about the World Solar Challenge.  The year was 1987 and he didn’t realize his dream until twelve years later, when in 1999 he decided to invest his time, energy, and money into creating the solar car project, which he called the “XOF1” for the power of one. 

 

Marcelo majored in marketing in college in Brazil and never had specialized training in the area of solar or electric car making.  He has no engineering or science background.  Yet, after immigrating to Canada in 1990, and settling in Toronto making a living as a flight attendant for Air Canada, he reevaluated his life and began a journey in pursuit of his lifelong dream:  to promote sustainable energy.

 

Marcelo’s engineer roommate at the time told him that it could take about 50,000 hours to build a solar car.  For one person, that would mean 40 hours a week over a 25-year period.  Only inspired more by the challenge, Marcelo enlisted the help of anyone he could and in the process of building his solar car, he received parts, technology and support from 23 different countries, making his solar car one of the most international solar projects today.  During the car building process, Marcelo added another goal to his project:  to design and build a solar car that would break the world distance record. After more than 2 years of difficult political challenges from the Province of Ontario, Marcelo officially finished the car in 2007. The solar car is licensed in the Country of Barbados and is allowed by an obscure 1949 Geneva Traffic Law to be driven legally in any country that has ratified this law. Despite this, Marcelo has been stopped 24 times by local police or state troopers.

 

Marcelo started his quest to achieve the world record on June 12, 2008, symbolically at Seneca College in Toronto, where he had received a great deal of technical support, help, and encouragement.   He and his all-volunteer crew trucked the car to Buffalo, NY where the official start and the mileage was recorded.  He has traveled across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota before driving the solar car into the Canadian Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territories, and Northwest Territories.  He has also driven the solar car in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and now Florida.   He officially broke the world record distance on October 30, 2008 in Victoria, BC at mile 0 of the Trans Canadian Highway and has driven the car more than 14,000 total miles.   Every mile he drives the solar car he achieves a new world record by breaking his own record!

 

Marcelo is funded by the generosity of friends and some in-kind sponsors.  He enjoys making presentations to local schools in the communities he visits where he encourages the children to follow their dreams with purpose and never give up.  The next goal for the XOF1 is to drive north to Washington D.C. and then back to the Arctic!  Marcelo’s motto is:  “Inspired by the sun, motivated by the environment.”

 

To learn more go to www.xof1.com

  

XOF1 Heading into a storm