Olympia - January 12, 2009
A strange UFO sighting on the Capitol Campus on the first day of the Washington State Legislative Session caught the attention of folks walking by, including Washington State Patrol Trooper Ted DeHart, who decided he better call it in....
In reality, the UFO was actually a solar car and piloted by Marcelo da Luz, a Brazilian native, who built it in 1999. Starting in Buffalo, New York, he has been on the road with it for 190 days. da Luz passed through Olympia before heading to Portland and eventually, Los Angeles. He has traveled in it to the Arctic Circle and around Alaska.
The solar car weighs only 470 pounds. Its 893 solar cells generate 900 watts, less watts than it takes to power a toaster. It goes 1 - 50 mph in six seconds and can reach a top speed of 75 mph. It can go 130 miles on a single charge, 300 miles in summer. "It's extremely comfortable to drive," says da Luz.
For more information about Marcelo's journey, contact him through his website at www.xof1.com.
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