Sunswift Solar racer built to be safe and practical

UNSW solar car racing team ‘Sunswift’ is working hard to build a solar car which is friendly not only to the environment but also to the driver.

The car will participate in the World Solar Challenge in October - an international, biannual race from Darwin to Adelaide, covering 3000 km and a host of conditions, from sun to rain and sometimes even bushfires. It is the ultimate test of endurance for solar cars.

Sunswift’s fifth-generation car eVe - a more ‘human-friendly’ solar vehicle. (Credit: Sunswift).

Sunswift is no stranger to the competition, having been the top Australian team in the past two races. In 2011, the team’s fourth-generation car broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest-ever solar vehicle, reaching a top speed of 88 km/h.

But this time, Sunswift is competing in the ‘cruiser class’, where the objective is not speed but practicality. Vehicles must have four wheels instead of three and accommodate both a driver and a passenger. According to team member Charith Perera, this is “a dramatic shift away from what we’ve done before.” Fellow team member Robert Makepeace added that the new car will be “much safer.”

“We want to go beyond the spaceship-type cars we’ve built in the past and create the sort of car you could drive anywhere, all while keeping the design cool and producing zero emissions,” explained Sunswift project manager Sam Paterson.

“The ultimate goal is to design and build a car that can meet the requirements for road registration in Australia.”

The design and construction of the fifth-generation vehicle ‘eVe’ has been in progress since early 2012. But it’s an expensive car to build, requiring state-of-the-art technology such as efficient silicon solar cells; a car shell moulded entirely out of carbon fibre; high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries; and a 97% efficient electric motor.

The team has already secured several sponsors to fund the vehicle but still requires at least another $20,000. They have turned to crowd funding to reach their total, promising a host of rewards such as your own silicon solar cell, tickets to the car’s launch and even the chance to give it a test drive.

But the team believes the best reward will be supporting the future. Team member Raymond Carlow said, “To get behind this project means you’re investing in the future of the automotive industry and in the solar industry.”

The team has currently raised almost $15,000 of its $20,000 target. The campaign ends on 27 June and can be viewed at www.pozible.com/eVe.