Aston Martin Bringing AC To Race Cars Via Solar Power

Aston Martin is planning to keep its drivers cool using a novel idea: solar panels. The company revealed its plans this week, saying it is an effort to be more green, and, more importantly, to improve performance by taking the load off the race cars' engines.

The auto maker has partnered with Hanergy Global Solar Power and Applications Group, planning to set up its race cars with solar panels that will power auxiliary features, notably the air conditioning, which will remove the load the processes have on the engine.

By doing so, the cars will be able to perform better, and drivers will be kept cool (to FIA standards, at least, which requires the cockpit to be under 90F degrees) An added bonus is that the race cars will be more fuel efficient with included solar panels.

The manufacturer is aiming to have at least one solar-equipped race car ready for the next endurance race. The solar technology will first be used on the V8 Vantage GTE, but if all goes well, it'll also be coming to the GT4 and V12 Vantage GT3.

VIA: Mashable