Driving any car across Australia's vast and baking interior could be a challenge, but when the journey is a race and the car in question runs only on sunlight, it becomes a veritable adventure.
But that's just what 32 teams from around the world have been attempting this week, as part of the Global Green Challenge.
The starting pistol may only have sounded on 24 October, but the winning team has already crossed the line - covering more than 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) as its car sped south from Darwin to Adelaide.
And sped is the right word for the Tokai Challenger, developed by Japan's Tokai University. Its six square metres of solar panels harness enough of the sun's rays to power it to a claimed top speed of 150kmh (93mph) - way above Australia's fastest limit of 130kmh (81mph).
After the first day's driving its lead over the pack was just 17 minutes, but this had grown to 56 minutes on the second day. And by the end of the climactic third day's driving, the team was a commanding two hours and 23 minutes ahead of its nearest rivals - despite stopping to deal with a flat tyre around 110 miles from the finish.
While the biennial event used to be known as the World Solar Challenge, this year saw a new class for eco-friendly production and 'experimental' vehicles.
And the Eco Challenge entrants included an unmodified Tesla roadster, which claimed a world electric car distance record - 313 miles on a single charge.
"No-one's been mad enough to try to drive an electric car from Darwin to Adelaide before," said Tesla driver Simon Hackett.
Asked what happened at the end of the battery's charge, Hackett was somewhat phlegmatic.
"When it runs out of juice, it stops," he said.
