The first solar-powered global flight takes off while Nissan makes their Leaf glow in the dark.
A plane with wings wider than a Boeing 747 has set off to fly 35,000km around the world, using solar energy. The 2.3 tonne Solar Impulse 2 left Abu Dhabi on its five month flight, piloted by Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard who will sit in a cockpit not much bigger than a public telephone box.
17,000 solar cells line the top of the wings and the energy-dense lithium-ion batteries it will use can sustain night-time flying, essential because of the slow speed (averaging 70km/h) of the prop-driven plane. Planned maintenance stops will include opportunities to campaign about clean technologies. Live coverage of the mammoth flight is also being broadcast on the projects own YouTube channel.
Piccard (think Star Trek says, "I had this dream 16 years ago of flying around the world without fuel, just on solar power. Now, we're about to do it. The passion is there and I look forward so much to being in the cockpit."
Meanwhile Nissan's custom-made paint has just been used to coat a Leaf EV allowing it to glow in the dark. According to the company, the paint, said to be made up of organic materials and Strontium Aluminate, can last up to 25 years, but there are no plans to make it available for sale.
The paint absorbs energy from the sun in the daytime allowing it to glow in the dark for up to 10 hours.