Sun powers solar cars built by students

BROKEN ARROW, Okla.- The rays of the sun are doing more than heating things up around Tulsa. They're powering some bright ideas.

On Sunday it looked like space ships invaded Broken Arrow. But it was just solar cars.

The American Solar Challenge started the race in Broken Arrow. Students from across the country and world are testing out solar cars they made themselves.
"I think it's a hot competition between us and some of the other teams around here," said Nyco Blugol, a student at Bochum University in Germany.

They're not the only ones excited to see cars powered by the sun hit the road.
"It's just a real neat technology, and something you don't get to see everyday here in Tulsa, so we thought we'd better stop and take a look at it," said Dustin Shook.

Many who came to see the cars hope they'll soon change our every day lives.
"It's definitely got a future, it has to have a future. We can't rely on our dependency on oil," Shook said.

Jonathan Cook is on Northwestern University's solar car team. He talked about the solar panels covering the cars.
"These are all mono-crystalline, silicone based solar cells," he said. "Each one of these is one big piece of silicone. And the light hits it, and it creates electricty."

The teams are on their way to Naperville, Illinois, stopping at checkpoints along the 1,200 mile route.
"It's essentially a road trip with a bunch of our friends," Cook said. "And we're just driving across the country, racing a solar car representing our school, having a blast."

The hands on learning could take them further than Illinois.
"It's a lot of fun just to be here and be on the cutting edge. 20 years down the road when all cars have solar panels on it or something like that, you know we can say, 'I was here first, and I've already done all that, and it's a blast,'" Cook said.

More than a dozen teams are competing in the competition. Most of the students involved are studying science, engineering and technology at school.