In this April 30, 2014 photo, Qazvin Azad University students assemble the rectangular Havin-2, or Brilliant Sun, in Qazvin, Iran.
The Havin-2 drove for tests alongside slightly larger gas-powered motor vehicles outside the capital, Tehran, ahead of the eight-day, 1,700-mile (2,700-kilometer) race that will take it from Austin, Texas to Minneapolis.
A Qazvin Azad University student test drives the rectangular Havin-2, or Brilliant Sun, in Qazvin, Iran. The 220-kilogram (485-pound) vehicle is 4.5 meters (15 feet) long, 1.8 meters (6 feet) wide and 1.1 meters (4 feet) tall, with a cockpit-like bubble for the driver. With photovoltaic cells covering some 6 square meters (65 square feet) of its surface, the car’s lithium-Ion batteries can drive it up to four hours between 90 to 150 kph (56 to 93 mph).
A Qazvin Azad University student assembles the rectangular Havin-2, or Brilliant Sun, in Qazvin, Iran.