“The only thing between you and your dreams is you.”

Pictured, Marcelo da Luz talks with students from Bear Branch Elementary School about his solar car. Photo by Justin Elbert.

That was the message students at Bear Branch Elementary School heard April 23 from Marcelo da Luz, designer and driver of the Power of One (Xof1) solar car.

Da Luz came to the school to share his love and passion for solar-powered cars with the students.

During his presentation, da Luz spoke with the students about solar-powered vehicles and ways solar energy can help the environment. The students were also given a special treat, the opportunity to see the Xof1 in action.

“I set out to complete the hardest challenge for a solar car. To drive a solar car to the arctic circle,” da Luz said in his presentation. “I also wanted to do my share for the environment.”

Da Luz told the students how he always wanted to build a solar car.

“I wanted to build the car for a long time,” he said. “I would always tell myself I couldn’t do it.”

He then told the students that one day, he just decided that he was going to build the car.

“The only thing between you and your dreams is you,” he said. “You have to believe you can do something before you can do it.”

Believe is exactly what da Luz has done and it has paid off.

He broke the world record this year for the longest distance traveled in a solar-powered car. He and his car also hold the following titles: first solar car in the world to operate below freezing temperatures, first solar car in the world to drive on an ice road, first solar car to reach the Arctic Circle and the First solar car to charge with the power of the midnight sun.

“We have driven over 13,000 miles using only sunshine as fuel,” he said. “On our journey we also crossed the Continental Divide eight times.”

Da Luz said that building the Xof1 has been a labor of love and has taken the better part of a decade to complete, with over two years of researching, two years of building and almost three years of “fighting the government.”

It took da Luz and his team 50,000 man-hours to construct the Xof1 car. He said he estimates the cost of building the car around $500,000.

Da Luz did admit that although he has broken many records and done many things with his solar-powered car, that doesn’t mean that solar-powered travel is feasible or even practical yet.

“This type of transportation isn’t really viable right now,” he said. “This is a step in the right direction though.”

Da Luz’s journey hasn’t been all fun and games. He said that while driving in Alaska he was pulled over by two policemen for a strange reason.

“Apparently, someone called 911 and reported seeing a UFO driving down the road,” he said with a laugh. “It was actually pretty funny. The officers just stopped me and after I showed them I wasn’t an alien they let me go.”

The Xof1 weighs 3,660 pounds, including the driver, and is propelled by a solar array made from 893 individual cells. The solar array is capable of producing 900 watts; a household toaster runs on almost 1,000 watts.

The car can travel more than 125 miles on a single battery charge. Its range is extended to almost 300 miles if driven during a bright day.

The car can reach a top speed of 75 mph and can go from 0-60 mph in six seconds.

For more information on the Xof1 solar car project, visit da Luz’s website at www.xof1.com.

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