A SOLAR-powered car that set off from Sussex has reached milestone in its journey, and arrived at the port of Adelaide in Australia, 10,000 miles away.

The car, designed by students aged 16 to 18 at Ardingly College, weighs just 450kg and has a top speed of 75km/h.

It set off in July. Since then, the car has been shipped Down Under along with a portable generator, camping equipment, and safety gear.

It is being escorted across the outback from Adelaide in the north of Australia to Darwin in the south by a support vehicle convoy, including two 4x4s, two eight-seaters and a supply lorry.

The Ardingly Solar Project became the first European school team to compete in the World Solar Challenge in October 2015.

The college team said: “This ambitious, forward-thinking initiative plunges students into the world of industry, extending engineering, technological and business studies far beyond the confines of a classroom. Students are regularly exposed to unique situations that require them to put the latest skills and knowledge into practice. It is not every day that a student is able to present in a boardroom at McLaren, or install the chassis of a real-life car.

“As a team, we wish to never be satisfied with past successes. We are continuing to drive forward into the world of sustainable technologies. With our hunger for progress in mind, we are now building a new solar car to test the latest technologies to the limit by entering major challenges, before manufacturing a commercially viable solar car (envisaged sale price around £6,000) for use in developing countries.”