# Angular Solar Cars The 400-Pound Centaurus II by the University of Minnesota Solar Car Team By manzil | Published 2010-05-06 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/centaurus-ii References: [greendiary](http://www.greendiary.com/entry/u-of-m-to-unveil-solar-powered-car-named-centaurus-ii/) & [www1.umn.edu](http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2010/UR_CONTENT_187698.html) Students from the University of Minnesota have built an angular [solar-powered car](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solarpowered-race-vehicle) called the Centaurus II, which will debut at the 2010 American Solar Challenge. The 400-pound Centaurus II has an aerodynamic body that is entirely fitted with [solar panels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightfoot-scooter), and its solar array encapsulation ensures maximum speed and efficiency. It took nearly 50,000 hours for the [University of Minnesota Solar Car](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aircraft-livery) team to complete the Centaurus II build. Materials for the Centaurus II were funded in cash and kind. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.8/10 - Popularity: 24% | Activity: 82% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Angular Solar-powered Cars:** The angular solar-powered car trend presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the automotive industry to revolutionize the concept of sustainability in transportation. - **Solar Array Encapsulation:** The trend of solar array encapsulation presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the solar energy industry to enhance the efficiency and speed of solar-powered devices. - **University Solar Car Teams:** The trend of university solar car teams presents disruptive innovation opportunities for educational institutions and the automotive industry to collaborate in developing cutting-edge solar-powered vehicles. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Automotive Industry:** The automotive industry has a disruptive innovation opportunity to integrate angular solar-powered cars into their product lineup and promote sustainable transportation solutions. - **Solar Energy Industry:** The solar energy industry has a disruptive innovation opportunity to further develop and commercialize efficient solar array encapsulation technologies for various applications, including solar-powered vehicles. - **Educational Institutions:** Educational institutions have a disruptive innovation opportunity to form partnerships with the automotive industry and support university solar car teams in pioneering advancements in solar-powered vehicle technology. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Two-Seater Solar-Powered Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aptera.md) - [Futuristic Solar-Powered Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightyear-0.md) - [Solar-Powered Sleek Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-solaris.md) - [Angular Enclosed Cargo Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solar-cargo-bike.md) - [Solar-Powered Sedan Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vision-eqxx.md) - [Sleek Solar-Powered SUVs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humble-one-suv.md) - [Solar-Powered City Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/city-cars.md) - [Solar-Powered Autonomous Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/polestar-cladrus.md) - [Aerodynamic Electric Camping Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solar-charging-camping-vehicle.md)