A solar-powered car that uses less power than a kettle has travelled 3,000km from Darwin to Adelaide to win its category in the Global Green Challenge, one of the world's largest green car races.

The futuristic-looking Tokai Challenger was built by a university team from Japan car and won the race with a driving time of 29 hours 49 minutes over the course of four days, which equates to an average speed of 100.54km/h.

The team attributed their success to an electric motor with an efficiency of 97%, lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) bodywork and a race that was trouble-free with the exception of one puncture.

The Tokai Challenger is harnesses the power of the sun through 6m2 of solar cells incorporated into its bodywork.

The 62mph "Challenger" solar racing car uses 6-square-metre covering of high-efficiency silicon cells incorporated into its bodywork.

The car weighs just 160kg and is powered by a motor rated at about 2kW.