CALAMA, Chile: Fifteen solar panel vehicles, some that look like small space ships, raced across Chile’s Atacama desert Friday as part of a contest to build low-cost environmentally-friendly cars.
Teams from countries like Argentina, Chile, India and Venezuela have crafted aerodynamic racers to speed across 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of the world’s driest desert in the second edition of the Atacama Solar Challenge.
The race, which began Thursday and ends today, pits teams from universities that build their cars on a tight budget in the slog across northern Chile.
Some of the vehicles powered exclusively by the sun’s rays, while others are solar- and pedal-powered hybrids.
The solar-powered vehicles are mostly flat rectangular contraptions lined with solar panels to absorb solar energy, which is stored in batteries, and with a cubicle to house the driver. The hybrids look like neighborhood go-carts with solar panels glued on.
The race started Thursday at the Humberstone saltpeter, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Chile’s capital, Santiago. The site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a ghost town that has been abandoned since saltpeter mining was halted ended there in the mid 20th century.
This year, a team from oil-rich Venezuela made their debut in the competition that celebrates an alternative to fossil fuels.
“In a country with a mono-economy based on oil, with an infinite potential of hydraulic energy, and without an energy problem, it is a miracle to build a car like this,” said the Venezuelan team captain Carlos Mata.
“The import laws in Venezuela meant we could not get all the necessary materials, so we had to adapt what we had. It was a huge effort,” he explained.
But his team persisted, eager to participate in an event organizers say is aimed at encouraging research into alternative sources of energy.
The solar vehicles shared the same northern Chilean highway with trucks, busses and cars, but are a long way from replacing them, said Leonardo Saguas, captain of the Antakar team from Chile’s Universidad de La Serena.
Yet Saguas, whose team built last year’s winning car, said he can envision a day when Chile is mass producing solar cars.
“We have plenty of resources, we just need to develop them,” he said.
Gabriel Martinez, proud team captain from the University of Concepcion, spent a year perfecting his vehicle.
“It has 244 solar cells” which capture the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity stored in batteries, he bragged, adding that the vehicle “weighs 300 kilograms and its peak power is 950 watts.”
“This race is awesome. It applies all the engineering and technology we learn into a sport. I love it,” he gushed.
Luciano Chiang, professor at Chile’s Catholic University, supervises the Solar Mecatronica team, one of five competing from Chilean universities.
“The market for (solar) panels belongs 90 percent to China, which no one can compete with on price,” Chiang said.
“Yet Chile is the country with the most potential solar energy in the world,” he said. “It is the same paradox as with batteries. We buy them from China, but they are made of lithium that surely comes from Chile,” the world’s leading source of the mineral.
Solar vehicles in Chile race across world’s driest desert
Solar vehicles in Chile race across world’s driest desert
Dar Global rings London Stock Exchange opening bell as project pipeline reaches $19bn
- ‘We want to be big, to be better, to have more reach, where we can serve our customer base,’ David R. Weinreb, non-executive chairman of Dar Global, tells Arab News
- Company unveiled its new slogan, ‘Live All In,’ after announcing world’s first tokenized hotel development in Maldives in partnership with the Trump Organization
LONDON: Dar Global celebrated on Tuesday its official transfer to the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) category, announced in September, and rang the market-opening bell at the London Stock Exchange.
Since its establishment in 2017, the Saudi-born real estate company has emerged as a key player in the luxury real estate market, developing projects in nearly 14 cities across the Gulf Cooperation Council, the UK, Spain, Greece, and Bosnia.
It was the first Saudi homegrown company to be listed on the LSE in February 2023 and the first from the broader Middle East to transition to the higher ESCC standard.
“The choice of coming here reflects our belief in London’s deep and sophisticated capital markets, our confidence in the UK’s resilience and the value we saw in tapping into a global investor base,” David R. Weinreb, the non-executive chairman of Dar Global, told Arab News.
Dar Global has expanded internationally from Dar Al Arkan, the largest real estate developer by market share in Saudi Arabia, with 31 years of legacy delivering properties in the Kingdom.
Weinreb said that the company is ready to offer ultra-luxury units to non-Saudi buyers, who will be able to own properties in designated zones for the first time in Saudi cities when a new law takes effect in January. The ownership law is part of the broader Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and attract foreign capital to the Saudi real estate market.
Since its listing on the LSE, Dar Global has announced several projects, including Trump Tower, a luxury seafront residence located in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, as well as developments in Riyadh and Muscat, the capital of Oman. In November, it reported a gross development value of $19 billion.
“Our vision is to solidify our position as the world’s leading ultra luxury real estate developer, recognized for our iconic projects and our unwavering commitment to excellence. And, of course, value creation for our shareholders,” Weinreb said.
Dar Global has formed partnerships with over 10 prestigious luxury brands, including the Trump Organization, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Dolce & Gabbana, Marriott, Pagani, and W Hotels, to develop luxury units under these brands and deliver the greatest value to investors.
On Monday, the company and the Trump Organization announced the debut of the Trump International Hotel Maldives. The project is the first for the Trump Organization’s brand and for Dar Global in the Maldives, and it will also be the world’s first tokenized hotel development, allowing investors to buy digital shares.
“We are pioneering and leading the way here,” Weinreb said, “and we feel it’s a tremendous, long-term outlet to a new investor.”
In Dubai, the company developed 85 exclusive apartments branded by Pagani, the Italian manufacturer known for high-performance sports cars. Weinreb said that selecting a brand to partner with is “a very specific exercise.
“It relates to each property that we ultimately secure, a piece of land, and then internally looking to understand what the market needs are and what a brand partner will specifically bring to the table that will be valuable to our consumer,” he said.
On Tuesday, the company unveiled its new slogan, “Live All In.” Ziad El-Chaar, the CEO of Dar Global, said that the slogan reflects the company’s “dedication to excellence and our unique approach to creating unparalleled lifestyle experiences and investment pathways across the globe.”
Dar Global is looking to enter the US market and establish a presence in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The company is partnering with Rothschild & Co and AlixPartners to expand into financial services and asset management through a new investment arm.
Before he was appointed non-executive chairman for Dar Global in October 2024, Weinreb was the co-founder and CEO of the Howard Hughes Corp., a leading US real estate company, from 2010 to 2019.
“We have great hopes of continuing our rapid expansion,” he said regarding Dar Global’s plans. “But we don’t want to be big just to be big. We want to be big, to be better, to have more reach, where we can serve our customer base.”
