A cannonball record has been set at 13 days, 15 hours, and 19 minutes for a solar powered vehicle. Several young men from Michigan built their own machine called The Cannonball Sun and proceeded to create a new class of competition for the infamous cannonball run challenge.
These young engineers completed the cross country journey in a custom built solar vehicle. They actually registered the machine as a motorcycle to make it street legal.
Drivers typically complete the challenge (aka race) at ludicrous speeds. In 2021, two gentlemen completed the run and achieved a time of 25 hours 39 minutes. During the trip the drivers achieved a 113 mph average and a 175 mph top speed. (Impressive, but big time risky!)
The Cannonball Sun can’t even hit 55 mph, but it still completed the 3,100 mile distance challenge.
From The Verge:
“All in, the team says the vehicle cost them around $12,000 to build, and 90 percent of it was funded with their own money. They crowdsourced funds to cover room and board as they made their way across the country and accepted sponsors for other incidentals. The team battled high heat in the desert and had to replace the charge controller when it broke in Desert Center. They also had to suffer through temperatures as high as 128 degrees inside the car without any air conditioning. They brought along another friend, Brett Cesar, who helped Samluk and Jones build their first solar car in high school, to be a fourth driver. In good weather, the team rotated driving stints about once every two hours. Through the desert, the team had to swap out in 30- to 45-minute increments to avoid heat stroke and dehydration, while other members followed in a chase vehicle.
The Verge
You can read blog posts about the cannonball run and the main drivers, Kyle Samluk, Will Jones, and Danny Ezzo on their website, thecannonballsun.com. They also have an Instagram and Facebook you can follow them on.
If you know someone who would enjoy a project or challenge like this, encourage them to do it! I would have really liked to complete a feat with something mechanical along side my friends in high school or college. At the time I was pretty busy with team sports and jobs, and looking back I don’t know how I would have added something like this to my schedule. But it’s nice to think I would have!
Thanks for reading,
– Will
Founder and Executive Editor for Motor Speed News.
Current Garage:
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon (302 whp)
2005 Toyota Tundra Limited
1986 Yamaha Virago XV1100
