{"id":8341,"date":"2013-10-11T12:25:22","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T19:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=8341"},"modified":"2013-10-11T12:25:22","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T19:25:22","slug":"nudging-the-speed-limit-on-solar-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/nudging-the-speed-limit-on-solar-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Nudging the Speed Limit on Solar Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine driving through the desert with sundown approaching and the gas gauge teetering on empty. Wherever you are when the car runs out of gas or the clock reads 5:00 pm, you spend the night. Competitors in the Challenger Class of this year\u2019s Bridgestone World Solar Challenge<\/a> had to face this challenge to their comfort and peace of mind every evening for five days.<\/p>\n

\"Delft<\/a>

Delft Technical University’s Nuon 7 took top honors in this year’s Solar Challenge<\/p><\/div>\n

Organizers of this international competition note, \u201cIt’s all about energy management! \u00a0Based on the original notion that a 1000 Watt car would complete the journey in 50 hours, solar cars are allowed a nominal 5 kilowatt hours of stored energy, which is 10% of that theoretical figure. \u00a0All other energy must come from the sun or be recovered from the kinetic energy of the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>

Clearly aerodynamic car from\u00a0Ecole de Technologie Superieure. the Eclipse 8 was eclipsed by other teams, only managing the first day\u2019s run<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe elite Challenger class is conducted in a single stage from Darwin to Adelaide. Once the teams have left Darwin they must travel as far as they can until 5 pm in the afternoon where they make camp in the desert where-ever they happen to be. Other classes have different requirements, but all teams must be fully self-sufficient and for all concerned it is a great adventure – many say the adventure of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cars, dubbed \u201caerodynamic masterpieces\u201d by Challenge organizers, are like the solar-powered equivalent of Formula 1 racers on the public highways \u2013 purpose-built to win races, but probably not great for the daily commute.<\/p>\n

\"2011's<\/a>

2011’s winner, Tokai University’s car managed a strong second place in this year’s event<\/p><\/div>\n

On their 3,000 kilometer trek from the north to the south of the continent, drivers of the 22 cars in this class faced seven mandatory checkpoints where new observers took over and each team could obtain updated weather and race information. Team members were allowed only basic maintenance such as checking tire pressures and removing debris from under the cars. Drivers might also stop for undisclosed check points where officials would check their car for \u201cregulatory compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cwdXOvKDf9w<\/p>\n

Two other classes, the Michelin Cruiser Class and the GoPro Adventure Class, have both practical and near-poetic ends.<\/p>\n

\"University<\/a>

University of New South Wales team with Cruiser Class winning Sunswift<\/p><\/div>\n

Inspired by the 2009 German entry Bio-Cruiser, the Cruiser Class seeks practical outcomes, with the four-wheeled cars carrying a driver and one passenger, both facing forward. These stopped at selected locations for overnight charging. Judged on energy consumption and \u201cthe subjective element of practicality,\u201d all cars were expected to meet the requirements for registration as a road vehicle in their country of origin, showing that such vehicles could eventually become a part of regular traffic.<\/p>\n

\"Eindhoven's<\/a>

Eindhoven’s entry in Cruiser Class is a four seater<\/p><\/div>\n

Sponsored by GoPro, which probably had thousands of its little cameras in every location possible, the Adventure Class allowed teams with \u201csolar cars built for previous events to return, usually with new team members, for the adventure of crossing the continent on the silent power of nature.\u201d The class was judged on \u201cthose who can work effectively with their available resources to achieve an outcome to the best of their capability,\u201d and are therefore, \u201cequally entitled to share the accolade as those who have won the greatest prize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adventure vehicles were limited to three wheels, one driver, and a maximum length of five meters (16.4 feet), width of 1.8 meters (5.9 feet), and solar array area of six square meters (64.6 square feet). Their race was in two stages, not well-documented on the event’s web site unfortunately.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This year’s colorful starting grid at qualifying<\/p><\/div>\n

Of the 40 cars entered by 23 different nations, 19 made it over 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and one, the Nuon Solar Team Nuna7 made it all the way, with several others flagging just a few kilometers short of the final goal. Many nudged the Aussie national speed limit in their runs, Nuna 7 doing over 90 kilometers per hour (55.8 mph) , showing that they could share the road with \u201creal\u201d cars and trucks.<\/p>\n

Win, lose, or draw, all showed high degrees of originality and innovation, and each demonstrated a desire to bring clean, green transportation to a world in great need of its day in the sun.<\/p>\n