WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!

STUDENT IN FOCUS

KU Leuven’s Innoptus Solar Team finished first at the World Solar Car Challenge in Australia. In doing so, they grab gold for the second time as the Leuven engineering students also won the previous edition in 2019. Team leader Cedric Verlinden talks about an unparalleled adventure.

On 22 October 2023, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge got underway in Darwin. Forty-two student teams from thirty-five different countries appeared at the start. Mission: to cover the 3021 km between Darwin and Adelaide with a self-built solar car, a route that runs through the Australian desert from the furthest north to the deepest south.

Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team left as favourites in the challenge class for single seaters. Cedric confirmed that victory in 2019 created extra pressure. “As reigning world champions, we knew all eyes would be on us. We therefore went all out not only to build the highest-performing car technically but also to get the best out of ourselves.”

Optimise

After 15 months of hard work, the team presented the Infinite, Belgium’s tenth solar car, in July 2023. “We perfected the car in numerous ways,” Cedric explains. “For example, we designed our own battery pack that allows the car to drive 900 km even when the sun is not shining. That is 200 km more than the autonomy of the previous solar car.”

In addition, the team built a new engine that reaches a top speed of 170 km/hour. Its efficiency is 93.3%. That is 2% higher than the highest-performance Tesla engine and over 40% better than a traditional internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the team perfected the fin that sits on the cockpit and folds out in crosswinds. This fin allows the car to sail on the wind and consumes up to four times less energy. In Australia, the solar car with a fin was a first. “During the race, this innovation would provide a significant competitive advantage,” Cedric said.

Finally, the design and mechanical design were also taken in hand. As a result, the Infinite is the narrowest solar car ever and is even more streamlined than its predecessors. This makes it the fastest and most energy-efficient solar car built by the Leuven engineering students since 2005.

First place

On Saturday 21 October, the qualification rounds took place in Darwin. The Leuven students achieved second place after the team from Aachen (Germany). During the first run a day later, the German team was passed within the first hour of the race. The Solar Team was able to keep the lead until the finish four days later.

“The Dutch team from Twente did put the heat on us,” says Cedric. “On Tuesday and Wednesday, they came dangerously close, but in the end, they were stranded in second place 20 km from us. In third place followed another Dutch team, from Delft. Teams from Michigan and Aachen finished fourth and fifth. Only half of the solar cars that started in Darwin made it to the finish line.”

During the second day, the teams had to deal with clouds of smoke on the course caused by fires in the area. The following days then saw strong crosswinds. This caused the wheel covers that keep the solar car streamlined to come loose. “Fortunately, we were prepared for this and lost little time in repairing them,” says Cedric. “All in all, we encountered few technical problems. In that respect, we drove a flawless course.”

Innovation

Along with the world title, the Solar Team picked up another prestigious prize: the coveted award for the best innovation to a solar car. “The competition jury was impressed by the rotating fin that allows our car to surf with the wind,” says Cedric. “In strong crosswinds, the fin proved invaluable.”

Meanwhile, in Leuven, a new Solar Team is already near its time to take over the torch. In September 2024, these students will compete in the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa with, no doubt, an even higher-performing Infinite.

Yves Persoons

www.solarteam.be