A remote-controlled, six-wheeled, car-sized electric vehicle currently being built by NASA for a forthcoming mission to Mars challenges the perception that battery-powered vehicles suffer from low-specification, poor range and performance.
As large as a Mini car, the latest Mars Rover has been named Curiosity; its mission is to explore and examine one particualr area of the planet’s surface for environmental conditions favourable for preserving evidence of life, if it existed.
Curiosity will leave on its mission in 2011 and arrive on Mars in August 2012 where it will be operated by its NASA ‘drivers’ around 65,000,000 miles away on earth.
| Curiosity Mars Rover | Specifications |
|---|---|
| SUV-beating ground clearance | The Curiosity Mars Rover will use its six wheels, each housing its own motor and steering which allows it to make 360-degree, on-the-spot turns, to tackle obstacles of up to 75cm in height. |
| Laser turret | Among its array of scientific tools, the Rover carries laser to vaporize patches of rock from a distance |
| Once-a-year refuelling | The vehicle relies on solar-panels supplemented by a nuclear battery, which will provide power for at least one year. |
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Battery technology is evolving at a terrific pace, but drivers should not expect electric cars that need re-fuelling only once a year anytime soon.”
The only electric car on sale today with a range that exceeds 100 miles is the Tesla Roadster – a two-seater sports car costing £90,000.
Watch live as the Curiosity Mars Rover is built
A live feed webcam at NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory in Pasadena, California allows internet users the chance to watch Curiosity as it is put together piece by piece.
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