Imagine owning a car without ever having to buy gas, change the oil, or pay for expensive transmission repairs. A group of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they are ready to make that possible, forming a startup called Solectron that will market virtually maintenance-free solar-powered cars. James Worden, a graduate student in mechanical engineering and Solectron’s project manager, says prototypes for a $10,000 commuter car (with a maximum speed of 45 m.p.h.) and a $20,000 two-seat sports car (65 m.p.h.) should be complete in less than five months, and cars should be ready for sale in about a year. When the prototypes are completed, the MIT team will test them out in races, both for publicity and safety reasons. He says Solectron, which has 10 employees, hopes to produce about 100 cars after the first two years, and to increase productivity after that. Listing other advantages, including ...
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MIT: A Solar Car In Your Future Imagine owning a car without ever having to buy gas, change the oil, or pay for expensive transmission repairs. A group of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they are ready to make that possible, forming a startup called Solectron that will market virtually maintenance-free solar-powered cars. James Worden, a graduate student in mechanical engineering and Solectron’s project manager, says prototypes for a $10,000 commuter car (with a
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