A group of Cambridge University students will be praying for plenty of sunshine next week – but not because they are planning their summer holidays.

A team of four students will drive the first-ever solar-powered journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats in the solar-electric vehicle Affinity.

Backed by a team of around 40 other students from the Cambridge University Eco Racing team (CUER), the drivers aim to inspire the public about environmental issues and sustainable technologies.

Affinity, which has been given a special order to drive as a prototype vehicle, is thought to have a top speed of around 50-60mph and will be displayed at schools and other venues along the 934-mile route.

The week-long trip, which takes place between June 8-14, is called ‘End to End’ and Affinity will make scheduled stops in the city centres of Edinburgh and York as well as the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Team captain Martin McBrien said: “Designing and building the car has been an exhilarating experience for all involved, with the many ups and downs, late nights, and breakthrough moments making the whole project worthwhile.

“Sustainable transportation is no longer an issue for the future, but for today. With oil at $135 a barrel, proving that travelling on free energy from the sun is possible brings real hope.”

Jia-Yan Gu, CUER Outreach Officer, said: “We’re really excited about the opportunity to engage with school children and the public along the End to End route. We want to spread our enthusiasm about applying technology to help solve environmental issues.”

Following the completion of End to End, the CUER team turn their attention to producing a second, more advanced solar vehicle to compete in the 2009 World Solar Challenge. The WSC is the premier solar environmentally-friendly race, bringing together around 30 teams from around the world to compete in a 1,850-mile race from Darwin to Adelaide across the Australian outback.

If they do enter, it will be the first time Cambridge University have taken part in the challenge.

Team member Tim Ensor of Judge Business School added: “This project is a fantastic example of business and engineering working together to support education and the environment. We’ve had amazing support from the business community from Cambridge and around the world. Firms like HP, Pilkington, Ford, ARM and Virgin Atlantic have really demonstrated their commitment to sustainable engineering through their support for our venture. It’s also been a great opportunity for students from different disciplines within the University to come together around a common goal.”

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