56-927: Sunswift Racing is the solar car racing team of the University of New South Wales in Sydney , Australia. The team currently holds a number of world records and is best known for its participation in the World Solar Challenge (WSC). Since its founding in 1996 by Byron Kennedy, the Sunswift team has built a total of 7 cars, the most recent of which is Sunswift 7 . The team primarily consists of undergraduate students from various disciplines including business, engineering and industrial design. Despite its team members being largely engaged in full-time study, Sunswift has remained competitive in all participated solar car challenges, earning prestige and recognition on
112-684: A cell encapsulation technique which allowed the moulding of solar panels to the curved shape of the car. BP "Saturn" cells, laminated using epoxy resins and fibreglass Power output ~1 kilowatt (1.3 hp) The original Sunswift vehicle was purchased from the Aurora Vehicle Association in 1996. The car, Aurora Q1 , was significantly upgraded and improved by the UNSW SRT and renamed Sunswift , under team leader Byron Kennedy. A new motor and controller, roll cage, chassis and batteries were added. Sunswift I then went on to race in
168-422: A result of this, the vehicle competed in the 2017 World Solar Challenge and placed third in practicality. In December 2018, the team had driven from Perth to set a Guinness World Record for the lowest energy consumption while driving across Australia in an electric car. VIolet was then further tested and refined for reliability and efficiency, leading to an all-time highest Sunswift ranking of 2nd Place Overall in
224-655: Is an international event for solar powered cars driving 3000 kilometres through the Australian outback . With the exception of a four-year gap between the 2019 and 2023 events, owing to the cancellation of the 2021 event, the World Solar Challenge is typically held every two years. The course is over 3,022 kilometres (1,878 miles) through the Australian Outback , from Darwin , Northern Territory , to Adelaide , South Australia . The event
280-920: The Belgian Punch Powertrain Solar Team's Umicar Infinity placed second. The Adventure Class was added this year, run under the old rules, and won by Japanese Ashiya team's Tiga . The Japanese Ashiya team's Tiga won the Adventure Class, run under the old rules, with an average speed of 93.53 km/h (58.12 mph). The 2009 WSC was won by the " Tokai Challenger ", built by the Tokai University Solar Car Team in Japan with an average speed of 100.54 km/h (62.47 mph). The longtime reigning champion Nuon Solar Team's Nuna 5 finished in second place. The Sunswift IV built by students at
336-595: The University of Michigan on the last day of the event to take home the bronze. The Adventure Class was won by the Houston High School solar car team from Houston , Mississippi , United States. The 2017 WSC was held on 8–15 October, featuring the same classes as 2015. The Dutch NUON team won again in the Challenger class, which concluded on 2017-10-12, and in the Cruiser Class, the winner
392-630: The University of New South Wales , Australia was the winner of the Silicon-based Solar Cell Class, while Japan's Osaka Sangyo University 's OSU Model S won the Adventure class. In the 2011 WSC Tokai University took their second title with an updated " Tokai Challenger " averaging 91.54 km/h (56.88 mph), and finishing just an hour before Nuna 6 of the Delft University of Technology . The challenge
448-756: The 1996 World Solar Challenge. The car was still a competitive entry despite its age, placing 9th out of over 46 entries. The experience gained from racing Sunswift I inspired the development of Sunswift II starting in 1997. Solar car racing Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 221152727 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:40:46 GMT World Solar Challenge The World Solar Challenge ( WSC ), since 2013 named Bridgestone World Solar Challenge ,
504-539: The 2005 WSC the top finishers were the same for the third consecutive event as Nuon's Nuna 3 won with a record average speed of 102.75 km/h (63.85 mph), and Aurora was the runner-up. The 2007 WSC saw the Dutch Nuon Solar team score their fourth successive victory with Nuna 4 in the Challenge Class, averaging 90.07 km/h (55.97 mph) under the new, more restrictive rules, while
560-662: The 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and finishing first across the line in Adelaide. Width: 2.2 metres (7 ft 2 in) Height: 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) The design and construction of eVe began in early 2012 and was completed within 18 months in time for the 2013 World Solar Challenge . The car cost approximately $ 500,000 and was built to compete in the new Cruiser Class in the WSC. This class focused on more practical solar cars with passenger seats, greater safety and more efficient batteries. To reflect its focus on practicality,
616-425: The 2023 World Solar Challenge, Cruiser Class. An on-road score of 109.4, practicality score of 83.3%, and a final score of 91.1 was achieved. They placed first for both the on-road score and practicality score. VIolet is the sixth vehicle designed and manufactured by Sunswift. It was the second vehicle manufactured by Sunswift that is built to compete in the Cruiser Class. Design of VIolet began in 2016 and manufacture
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#1732779646723672-400: The 4,052 km (2,518 mi) between Sydney , New South Wales and Perth , Western Australia in 20 days. That was the precursor of the WSC. After the 4th event, he sold the rights to the state of South Australia and leadership of the event was assumed by Chris Selwood. The event was held every three years until 1999 when it was switched to every two years. The first edition of
728-468: The Australian continent in a 16-foot (4.9 m) open boat. At a later stage in his life he became involved in various competitions with fuel-saving cars and trucks. Already in the 1980s, he became aware of the necessity to explore sustainable energy as a replacement for the limited available fossil fuel. Sponsored by BP, he designed the world's first solar car, called The Quiet Achiever , and traversed
784-589: The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class. The design began in 2020, with intentions of running in the cancelled 2021 World Solar Challenge. In December 2022, Sunswift achieved a Guinness World Record for the Fastest EV over 1,000 km (621 mi) on a single charge. It achieved this in 11 hours and 52.08 minutes, at an average speed of almost 85 km/h (53 mph). In October 2023, Sunswift won
840-646: The Cruiser Class in all four events so far. Remarkable technological progress has been achieved since the General Motors led, highly experimental, single-seat Sunraycer prototype first won the WSC with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph). Once competing cars became steadily more capable to match or exceed legal maximum speeds on the Australian highway, the challenge rules were consistently made more demanding and challenging — for instance after Honda 's Dream car first won with an average speed exceeding 55 mph (88.5 km/h) in 1996. In 2005
896-519: The Cruiser class, Solar Team Eindhoven won their fourth consecutive title. Despite multiple incidents on the road, Team Sonnenwagen Aachen managed to beat other teams and finished in 6th position. Several teams had mishaps. Vattenfall was leading when their car Nuna X caught fire. The driver was uninjured, but the vehicle was destroyed. It was the first no-finish for that team in 20 years. Others were badly affected by strong winds. Dutch team Twente
952-421: The Cruiser division was won by UNSW Sunswift with a score of 91.1. Uniquely, no Cruisers were able to finish the race this year. Many of the leading teams faced trouble during the competition. Dutch team Top Dutch raced on a perovskite-tandem solar array damaged from testing in the month leading up to race. Michigan experienced electrical issues during qualifying and had to start last. German team Sonnenwagen
1008-649: The Dutch Nuna team were the first to beat an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The 2017 Cruiser class winner, the five-seat Stella Vie vehicle, was able to carry an average of 3.4 occupants at an average speed of 69 km/h (43 mph). Like its two predecessors, the vehicle was successfully road registered by the Dutch team, further emphasizing the great progress in real-world compliance and practicality that has been achieved. The WSC held its 30th anniversary event on 8–15 October 2017. The objective of
1064-602: The South Australian Government confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 staging of the event. While the COVID-19 pandemic was not explicitly cited as the reason, the "complexities of international border closures" affecting Australia at the time appear to be the primary reason for the event's cancellation. The same statement also noted the next event would take place in October 2023 - at least 962 days from
1120-599: The WSC has multiple classes. After the German team of Bochum University of Applied Sciences competed with a four-wheeled, multi-seat car, the BoCruiser (in 2009), in 2013 a radically new "Cruiser Class" was introduced, stimulating the technological development of practically usable, and ideally road-legal, multi-seater solar vehicles. Since its inception, Solar Team Eindhoven's four- and five-seat Stella solar cars from Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) won
1176-599: The World Solar Challenge was run in 1987 when the winning entry, GM 's Sunraycer won with an average speed of 67 km/h (42 mph). Ford Australia 's "Sunchaser" came in second. The " Solar Resource ", which came in 7th overall, was first in the Private Entry category. The 1990 WSC was won by the "Spirit of Biel", built by Biel School of Engineering and Architecture in Switzerland followed by Honda in second place. Video coverage here. The 1993 WSC
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#17327796467231232-415: The batteries as much as possible in periods of daylight when the car is not driving. To capture as much solar energy as possible, the solar panels are generally directed such that these are perpendicular to the incident sun rays. Sometimes the whole solar array is tilted for this purpose. The idea for the competition originates from Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup . He was the first to circumnavigate
1288-507: The batteries can be completely recharged in 10 hours using a standard household power socket or in under 7 hours using a commercial power socket. In terms of cost and efficiency, for every 100 km the solar car would cost approximately $ 0.20 compared to the average $ 15 for conventional petrol powered cars. In July 2014 The Sunswift team broke an FIA World Record which was overseen by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport , for
1344-424: The battery at the same time, instead of just using conventional mechanical brakes. Lastly, the energy that was once in the sunlight shining on the car, reaches the electric motors which operate on the principles of electromagnetism to turn that electrical energy into rotational energy that spins the wheels and drives the car forward. Sunswift 7 (SR7) is the third vehicle manufactured by Sunswift designed to compete in
1400-759: The century. Since 2001 the WSC was won seven times out of ten efforts by the Nuna team and cars of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands . The Tokai Challenger , built by the Tokai University of Japan, was able to win 2009 and 2011. In the most recent editions (2019 & 2023), the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team formerly known as the Agoria Solar Team from KU Leuven University won. Starting in 2007,
1456-403: The challenge is to promote the innovation of solar-powered cars . It is a design competition at its core, and every team/car that successfully crosses the finish line is considered successful. Teams from universities and enterprises participate. In 2015, 43 teams from 23 countries competed in the challenge. Efficient balancing of power resources and power consumption is the key to success during
1512-399: The challenge. At any moment in time, the optimal driving speed depends on the weather forecast and the remaining capacity of the batteries. The team members in the escort cars will continuously remotely retrieve data from the solar car about its condition and use these data as input for prior developed computer programs to work out the best driving strategy. It is equally important to charge
1568-498: The creation of the Cruiser Class by racing more practical solar cars in previous WSC events. The Australian team, the University of New South Wales solar racing team Sunswift was the fastest competitor to complete the route, but was awarded third place overall after points were awarded for 'practicality' and for carrying passengers. In the Challenger Class, the Dutch team from Delft University of Technology took back
1624-410: The current into the motor controllers which converts it into a form that can be used to power the electric motor. Motor controllers are also used to manage things like speed regulation, cruise control and regenerative braking . Regenerative braking is using the existing motors as generators by converting the rotational energy of the wheels back into electrical energy, slowing the car down and recharging
1680-444: The date of announcement, and resulting in a four-year gap between events. Registered teams should receive a full refund of all fees. The 2023 World Solar Challenge was held from October 22-29. At the beginning of the race, 31 teams were participating, with 23 in the Challenger division and 8 in the Cruiser division. The Challenger division was won by defending champions Innoptus (formerly Agoria) with an average speed of 88.2km/h, and
1736-585: The drive from Perth to Sydney in 5.5 days. In September, the team successfully completed the WSC in ninth place overall, and was also awarded the CSIRO technical innovation award, out of an initial field of 41 international entrants. The same year, the Sunswift team was awarded the 2007 Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Award for Education and Training. Between 1997 and 2003, the team developed, refined and raced four versions of UNSW Sunswift II. In 2000-2001,
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1792-434: The electromagnetic energy of the sun into electrical energy, through the use of photovoltaic cells, and then converting that electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the car, through the use of some form of electric motor. Maximum power point trackers act as an interface between the solar array and the battery, while motor controllers act as an interface between the battery and the electric motors As sunlight shines on
1848-589: The entire project took approximately 18 months and $ 250,000 to complete. On 7 January 2011, at the Royal Australian Navy airbase, HMAS Albatross , IVy broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest solar powered vehicle. Australian racing driver Barton Mawer brought IVy to a top speed of 88.5 kilometres per hour (55.0 mph), beating the previous record of 22 years by over 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph). The rules of
1904-585: The fastest electric vehicle capable of travelling 500 kilometres (310 mi) on a single battery charge. The team beat the previous record 73 kilometres per hour (45 mph) – set in 1988 – with an average speed of 107 kilometres per hour (66 mph) over the 500-kilometre (310 mi) distance, which was done at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Victoria. This record was not an exclusive Solar car record, but
1960-426: The latest in their series of cruiser cars. In the Challenger Class, the team from Delft University of Technology retained the title with Nuna 8 and an average speed of 91.75 km/h (57.01 mph), while their Dutch counterparts, the University of Twente , who led most of the challenge, finished just 8 minutes behind them in second place, making 2015 the closest finish in WSC history. Tokai University passed
2016-403: The light intensity which can change rapidly if some cells become shaded. The electricity then flows into the battery where it can be stored for later use such as to drive the car while there is no sunlight. Although the battery is primarily charged by the solar panels, it can also be externally charged by the conventionally generated electricity at your home or workplace. The battery then discharges
2072-419: The newer recruits, thus helping to continue the standard of excellence that has been embodied in the team since its founding in 1996. The Sunswift team also plays an active role in the local community by educating the general public about the advantages of solar versus conventionally powered vehicles. To this end, they regularly showcase the series of Sunswift cars at exhibitions and hold information days open to
2128-407: The only road legal solar cars in the world and the first to adhere to the strict Australian Design Rules . As with eVe, IVy was built to compete in the World Solar Challenge , specifically for the 2009 race. However, unlike eVe, IVy raced as part of the Challenger Class and Challenger Class Silicon, ending up finishing 4th overall despite being the first silicon powered car across the line. Overall,
2184-430: The public. In addition, Sunswift also visits schools in order to teach and inspire young children about implementing solar power technology whilst demonstrating how it can be a fun and effective method of powering a car. All solar cars have at least five main parts to their power system: the solar array , maximum power point tracker (MPPT), battery , motor controller and electric motor . These cars rely on converting
2240-421: The record required that IVy be powered solely by the sun and with the entire battery pack removed, the car weighed only 140 kilograms (310 lb). Sunswift III was designed for the 2005 WSC. Mechanical problems caused a crash before the race, and the car completed the course unofficially. In 2006, the mechanics were improved. In January 2007, Jaycar Sunswift III broke the world transcontinental record, completing
2296-478: The solar array, it transfers energy to the electrons within the photovoltaic cells, thus allowing them to conduct electricity and causing a current to flow. This current then travels to the MPPTs which alter the load across the solar array in order to ensure that it is generating electricity as efficiently as possible. The MPPTs have to constantly monitor the output of the photovoltaic cells because that output depends on
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2352-523: The team also designed it to resemble a modern-day sports car, rather than the typical space aged style of most other solar vehicles. The car was the fastest vehicle in the Cruiser Class, achieving Line Honours and overall third place for the Cruiser class while also attaining the highest top speed of 128 kilometres per hour (80 mph). On a single charge of its batteries, eVe can travel up to 500 kilometres (310 mi) or over 800 kilometres (500 mi) if powered by its own solar cells. Once fully depleted,
2408-488: The team embarked on the TopCell project to manufacture buried contact solar cells to construct a new solar array. This makes the UNSW SRT the first and only team to have made their own solar cells. Along the way, the team achieved a new world record efficiency for this type of solar cell. The remaining cells on UNSW Sunswift II are the world's highest efficiency "PERL" silicon solar cells, made at UNSW. The team also pioneered
2464-627: The team from Western Sydney University out of the challenge. The driver of Agoria from Belgium escaped injury when their vehicle was "uprooted" at 100 km/h (62 mph) by severe winds, but still went on to win the Challenger class. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia the WSC closed entries three months earlier than normal, on 18 December 2020. They were then to "… review all current government measures relating to social distancing, density and contact tracing, international travel restrictions and isolation requirements." On 12 February 2021,
2520-451: The title with Nuna 7 and an average speed of 90.71 km/h (56.36 mph), while defending champions Tokai University finished second after an exciting close competition, which saw a 10–30 minute distance, though they drained the battery in final stint due to bad weather and finished some 3 hours later; an opposite situation of the previous challenge in 2011. The Adventure Class was won by Aurora's Aurora Evolution . The 2015 WSC
2576-524: The world stage as well as training young engineers to be on the cutting edge of their profession. A number of former Sunswift team members have moved on to establishing their own companies and others have attained highly sought-after positions in the workforce; for example, working as part of well-established racing teams such as those in Formula 1 . Some of these team members remain in contact with Sunswift even after graduation, and act as mentors or advisors to
2632-410: Was blown off the road just outside of Port Agusta and had to withdraw due to new regulations. Tokai had to stop for several hours on Day 4 to repair their car after sustaining damage from crossing a cattle grid. Kogakuin had consistent problems with their MPPT charge controller, and reported in an Instagram post that their panels were generating less than half the power than they should have been. On
2688-753: Was completed in late 2017. In comparison to previous generations of Sunswift vehicles, VIolet is Sunswift's first four-seat, four-door vehicle with a 5-square-metre solar array consisting of 318 monocrystalline silicon cells with an approximate efficiency of 22%. VIolet was designed with a greater focus on practicality, with the aim of resembling a more comfortable family vehicle in comparison to previous generations of Sunswift vehicles. New features have been implemented in VIolet such as live monitoring and fault detection, entertainment systems, air conditioning, navigation, wifi, reverse camera, adjustable seating, parking sensors, front and back boot-space, and ergonomic dashboard. As
2744-402: Was created to foster the development of solar-powered vehicles . The WSC attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations , although some are fielded by high schools . It has a 32-year history spanning fifteen events, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987. Initially held once every three years, the event became biennial from the turn of
2800-637: Was held on 15–25 October with the same classes as the 2013 challenge. In the Cruiser Class, the winner was once again Solar Team Eindhoven's Stella Lux from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands with an average speed of 76.73 km/h (47.68 mph), while the second place team was Kogakuin University from Japan who was the first to cross the finish line, but did not receive as many points for passenger-kilometers and practicality. Bochum took 3rd place this year with
2856-433: Was leading the journey at 100 km/h (62 mph), when their car was forced off the road by winds and rolled over. The driver was taken to hospital. Within 30 minutes team Sonnenwagen Aachen was also blown off the road north of Coober Pedy , the driver was not hurt. An 80 km/h (50 mph) speed limit was then imposed by event officials, lifted when conditions improved. The day before, wind damage to solar panels put
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#17327796467232912-599: Was marred by delays caused by wildfires . The 2013 WSC featured the introduction of the Cruiser Class, which comprised more 'practical' solar cars with 2–4 occupants. The inaugural winner was Solar Team Eindhoven's Stella from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands with an average speed of 74.52 km/h (46.30 mph), while second place was taken by the PowerCore SunCruiser vehicle from team Hochschule Bochum in Germany, who inspired
2968-479: Was once again Solar Team Eindhoven, from the Netherlands as well. The 2019 WSC was held from 13 to 20 October. 53 teams from 24 countries entered the competition, featuring the same three classes, Challenger (30 teams), Cruiser (23 teams) and Adventure. In the Challenger class, Agoria Solar Team (formerly Punch Powertrain) won for the first time. Tokai University Solar Car Team finished in second place. In
3024-472: Was open to any Electric vehicle weighing under 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). Consequently, for this record the Solar cells were disconnected from the electrical systems, and the car was allowed to only run on its lithium-ion battery pack. The team is currently progressing with eVe's road legality status and plans to officially register eVe as Australia's first road legal Solar car . This would make eVe one of
3080-489: Was the runner-up in the most closely contested WSC so far. The SunRayce class of American teams was won by Massachusetts Institute of Technology . The 2001 WSC was won by Nuna of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands , participating for the first time. Aurora took second place. In the 2003 WSC Nuna 2 , the successor to the winner of 2001 won again, with an average speed of 97 km/h (60 mph), while Aurora took second place again. In
3136-527: Was won by the Honda Dream , and Biel School of Engineering and Architecture took second. Video coverage here. In the 1996 WSC, the Honda Dream and Biel School of Engineering and Architecture once again placed first and second overall, respectively. The 1999 WSC was finally won by a "home" team, the Australian Aurora team's Aurora 101 took the prize while Queen's University
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