Honors for the best student-built vehicle in the recent six-day Tour de Sol, the unofficial national electric and solar vehicle championship, went to UC Davis researchers and students, who won a $2,000 award. Called the "Endura," the car also finished second place in the American commuter division, most notably covering 175 miles on a single charge in one day. Driven by David Swan, assistant director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, the car also posted a victory in the World Clean Air Road Rally in Southern California and a third place at the Arizona Public Service 500 during its successful spring competition season. The winning results are due to a zinc-bromine battery for long-range driving, a propulsion system adapted from military technology for interstate speeds, and a safer and shorter recharging system. The powerful Endura can reach 80 miles an hour and travel 160 miles between recharges. The group's next projects include investigating a battery made entirely of plastic and researching electrochemical fuel cells.