Solar Car To Tour The State

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(WEST LAFAYETTE) - A pair of Purdue students will parade their solar-powered car around the state this week.

Matt Hewlett is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering who's worked on the car for more than three years. He says the solar vehicle was originally built as part of a competition pitting collegiate teams against one another to build the fastest, most efficient vehicle possible.

Hewlett and his team will travel to schools and to the project's financial backers to show off the wing-shaped vehicle and present a message of cars powered on renewable energy. He says inclement weather could limit the speed at which the car travels.

The car's engines can power the vehicle at a maximum speed of about 65 miles per hour, and can run for the better part of a sunny day at a cruising speed of 45 m-p-h. The trip across the state will cover about 850 miles.

When he graduates, Hewlett says he's got a job lined up helping Ford Motor Company design new engines.

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