3000 km with the power of the sun

Across Australia, driven only by the power of the sun. The SolarCar team of HS Bochum made it possible in 2009. Two cars, the aerodynamic SolarWorld No. 1 and the BOcruiser suitable for everyday use, were sent into the race. igus® as a sponsor was invited for the final presentation to complete a great season. I did not of course miss this opportunity to meet the team, to learn something about the construction of the car and the competition.

The commitment is impressive. 17 students worked for 2 years at two SolarCars as part of Global Green Challenge 2009 in Australia. The objective: arrive as quickly as possible in southern Adelaide. The problem: the starting point was Darwin in the north. In between lay 3000 km Outback, biting heat and five days of driving. Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Spychalski showed his video documentation with intense and also very funny impressions of Australia. At the end we see a highly satisfied SolarCar team with their two cars, which occupied the twelfth and eighth ranks.

Why 2 cars at the same time? Team manager Julian Stentenbach stated that the "SolarWorld No.1" was built under the technical direction of Chris Coyota in the racing-adapted, aerodynamic three-wheeled design to make it as competitive as possible and the "BOCruiser" was designed actually for everyday use, that is driving on four wheels, with more space inside. Presuming you would like to work looking ahead, the wise thing is to always want to build cars that everyone can drive in the future. Thus Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Sternberg praises all efforts to make solar energy beneficial for individual mobility, but at the same time also underscores the need to construct this as suitable for everyday use and as market-oriented as possible.

The challenge began in a successful manner. In the qualifying round the BOCruiser reached the third place, which was confidently predicted by Julian Stentenbach. During the actual race both SolarCar teams however had to contend with punctures, which cost valuable time. Ultimately, however, they achieved really good positions. Incidentally the winner was the team from Japan. It is however obvious that the three-wheeled, ultra flat car in "table tennis" design can hardly be driven on the roads. So, this year's design winner was once again the BOcruiser from Bochum.

We congratulate the whole team around Julian Stentenbach and Chris Coyoka for a very successful challenge and of course wish further success in the future. igus® will of course be at the next competition right across the Outback.