HELIOX

 

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Besides a family and a job, everyone needs an interest in life, such as a good hobby.  For many this could mean golfing, collecting classic cars or stamps.  But for Dominic de Vries, the challenge that satisfies is taking on the SUN. Or rather,  "racing with the sun". Thanks to his family and friends who are very supportive of his sometimes unconventional ideas, he could realise his dream, without the family expecting big trophies from him!  Sounds too good to be true. NK

 

 

 

Heliox Tour de Sol 1990 (95kgs)

 

 

From 21-28 October 2007 the Panasonic World Solar Challenge - the most challenging race for solar racing cars in the world - will take place. The race crosses the Australian continent from the north to the south - over 3000 kilometers.

 

The event is was first organised in 1987 and achieved average speeds of more than 100 km / hour in 2005. A serious demonstration of the force of solar energy  the only energy source with a long-term future

 

Switzerland organised the first solar race ever in 1985 which started a real "solar - boom". Only two teams from Switzerland have ever participated in the World Solar Challenge - the successfull "Ingenieurschule Biel" in 1987-1993 and "Heliox" in 1993. Unfortunately, they did not pass the finish line due to technical problems and a short preparation period of only 3 months.  So they are having another try - to show that with standard solar components and vehicle-technology such a challenge can be successfully undertaken. That is of course the challenge.

 

 

Clear targets:

 

Two seats

Maximum vehicle construction costs of EUR 15000.00 (!)

Maximum weight of 100 kgs (withour driver/s)

Maximum 6 m2 of standard cells (WSC regulation)

Average speed of min. 50 km / h (WSC regulation)

 

 

THE TEAM...
 

Heliox are a family team:

Dominic      constructor, driver

Sabine       organisation, driver

Vincent      co - driver, construction

Sidney       fotos & support

....tbn        driver

....tbn        driver support vehicle

....tbn        technical support

....tbn        flexible and crazy enough to join us...

 

 

TEAM MEMBERS WANTED:

 

...and we need another few team members to join us - unfortunately we cannot offer money but a lot of adventure and a good time at one of the last real racing-challenges on this planet...

 

THE VEHICLE...

 

To avoid technical surprises and archieve our target, we only relay on standard products which are well tested. The vehicle and the components have to light and efficient. There will be a testing period of at least 12 months, starting in October 2006. All components are provided by reliable suppliers.

 

The main specifications are:

 

Lenght:  500 cm

Width:   120 cm

Hight:    100 cm

Weight:  100 kgs (without driver)

Speed:   average 55 km/h - max. 80 km/h

 

 

 

Dominic de Vries in Heliox 1989

 

 

SOLAR ARRAY

    We will wait until End of 2006 to decide for the best cells available a the lowest price. We will only race on standard cells. The possible specification according to actualy available cells are:

     

    Surface  6 m2

    Efficiency  20% (Array 19%) = 1150 Watts

    This is 25% more efficient than 1993.

    Aluminium space frame

 

BATTERY

  • Li-Ion batteries are available as standard components. We will drive with about 20 kgs battery

  • at about 3 Kwh storage capacity. 4 times the values of 1993.

 

MOTOR

  • The highest possible efficiency of the whole driving system (>90 %)

  • DC - motor at 48 Volts / 1.5 KW (2 KW max)

  • Low weight (<4 kgs)

  • Standard product, optimised

 

VEHICLE

  • 3 - wheels

  • disc brakes

  • 2 seats (!)

 


 

 

CONTACTS

 

www.sunbuy.ch/heliox - heliox@sunbuy.ch

 

+41 79 320 35 43

 

 

 


 

 

 

VEHICLE HISTORY

 

 

HELIOX 2 (1985)

 

Heliox 2 constructed for the first Solarrace of the world  - The TOUR DE SOL

started in Juni 1985 in Romanshorn in Switzerland (with more than 20000 specators) and ended after 400 km in Geneva.

 

The average speed of the vehicle was about 20 km / h and the race was driven on the normal roads in the traffic.

 

    Solar array    240 Watts (12% efficiency)

    Motor           DC Motor with max. 800 Watts

    Battery          Lead acid with 1.4 kw/h

    Speed           max. 40 km / h

 

 

HELIOX 6 (1989)

 

    Solar array    480 Watts (15% efficiency)

    Motor             Asynchronus Motor with max. 12000 Watts

    Battery          Lead acid with 2.4 KW/h

    Speed           max. 90 km / h

 

 

HELIOX 8

 

Vehicle Data

Weight                   130 kgs

Battery                   lead acid 65 kgs

Speed                    max. 60 km/h

                              average 38 km/h

Motor                    2 x 800 W AC  24 Volts (Efficiency 70%...)

 

The vehicle was constructed in 3 months time before the start of the race and was only tested for 500 meters.

 

 

 

 

Heliox1993 WSC

 

 


 

 

 

ORGANISATION A-Z

CAR'S NAME

TEAM NAME

Aristotle Uni of Thessaloniki, Helios

Helios

Faculty of Engineering

Arizona Solar Racing Team - USA

Arizona Solar Racing Team

Auburn University

Sol of Auburn

Sol of Auburn

Aurora Team, Australia

Aurora

Aurora Vehicle Association

Bochum Solar Car Team

Das SolarCar der Fachhochschule

California Poly S University

SLO Burn  Sidewinder

San Luis Obispo

Clarkson Uni Solar Car Team, USA

The Solar Knights

Delft University - Holland

NUNA I & II 2003

Dell Winston School

The Hunter

Solar Car Challenge

Desert Rose, Northern Territory Uni

FUJI DESERT ROSE

Drexel SunDragon Home Page

École de technologie supérieure Quebec

Eclipse V (5)

Éclipse Vehicular Solaire 

École Polytechnique de Montréal

Esteban

Eko-Auto  Poland

Eko-Auto

Electron Analytic Corporation

Dark Horse

EAC Skunkworks

George Washington University

George Washington Uni Solar Car

Georgia Institute of Technology

Solar Jackets

Solar Jackets

Heliodet, Germany

Heliodet

Heliodet, Solar Car Team

Helios - Lille, France

Hélios IV

Hautes Etudes d'Ingénieur

Heliox Solar Car Team

Héliox

Dominic de Vries

Honda Car Company

Honda

Illinois State University

Surya, Ratha, Mercury

Illinois State University Team

Iowa State University

Fusion

Team PrISUm

Jonasun  Japan

Orbit

Solar Car Paviion

Kansas State University

Paragon

Solar Car Racing Team

Los Altos Academy of Engineering

Los Altos Solar Car Team

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tesseract

MIT

McGill University Monteal, Canada

iSun

Team iSun

McMaster University

Phoenix

McMaster Uni Solar Car Project

Messiah College Grantham, Penns

Genesis II

Genesis II Solar Racing Team

Michigan State University

 

Solar Racing Team

Michigan Technological University

Solar Car Team

Minnesota S Uni-Mankato/Winona S Uni

Minnesota Solar Car Team

North Dakota State University

The Double Deuce

Sunsetters - Solar Race Team

Northwestern University

N'Uvation

Northwestern University

Nuon Solar Team, Netherlands

Nuon 3

Het Nuon Solar Team

Osaka Sangyo University, Japan

OSU model S

Solar Car Team

Prairie View A&M University

Solaris

Sun Panthers

Principia College

RA 6

Principia College Solar Car Team

Purdue University

SPOT 2

Purdue University Solar Racing

Queen's University Canada

Radiance  Gemini

Queen's Solar Vehicle Team

Red River College 

Red River Raycer

Red River College Solar Car Team

Rice University

Rice University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Rose-Hulman Solar Car Team

Southern Illinois Uni Edwardsville

Cougar Cruiser

Southern Illinois University

South Bank University, UK

Mad Dog

South Bank Mad Dog Team

South Dakota School Mines & Tech

Solar Motion

South Dakota Solar Motion Team

Southern Taiwan University Tech

Southern Taiwan Solar Team

Stanford University

Solstice

Stanford Solar Car Project

Tamagawa University - Japan

Tamagawa Solar Challenge Project

Team Futura, Italy

FUTURA 2

Team Futura

Team SunLake - Japan

Phaethon model

Team SunLake TOYOBO

Texas A&M University

Columbia Sunraycer

Texas A&M Motorsports Team

The Power of One  - Toronto

Xof1

The Xof1 solar car team

Tufts University

ANNE E. B. II

Nerd Girls

University of Alberta

University of Alberta Team

University of Arizona

Drifter

Solar Racing Team

University of Calgary

 

UC Calgary Solar Car Team

University of California-Berkeley

CalSol 

California Calsol Team

University of Kansas

Solution, CATalyst

KSU Solar Car Racing Team

University of Kentucky

Gato del Sol II

Solar Car Team

University of Massachusetts 

Spirit of Mass 413

Lowell Solar Racing Team

University of Michigan

Momentum

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

Borealis III

U of M Solar Vehicle Project

University of Missouri Columbia

Suntiger VI

The Mizzou Solar Car Project

University of Missouri Rolla

Solar Miner V

Solar Minor Car Team 

University of North Dakota

Subzero 3

Team SubZero

University of Ontario Institute of Tech

UOI Solar Vehicle Team

Uni of New South Wales SCR Team

UNSW Sunswift III

New South Wales SCR Team

University of Patras, Hermes

Solar Car Team

University of Pennsylvania

Keystone

Penn Solar Racing

University of Queensland

Sunshark

Queensland Solar Team

University of South Australia

Ned  KELLY

SA Solar Car Consortium

University of Texas at Austin

Solar Steer

Solar Vehicles Team

University of Texas at El Paso

 

Solraycers

University of Toronto

Blue Sky

Blue Sky Solar Racing

University of Toulouse

Heliotrope

Heliotrope Solar Car Team

University of Utah 

 

Vehicle Design Team Utah

University of Virginia

 

UVa Solar Car Team

University of Waterloo

Midnight Sun VIII

Midnight Sun Solar Race Team

University of Western Ontario

Sunstang

Sunstang USP Solar Car Team

USP Solar Car Team

USP Solar Car Team

Western Michigan University

Sunseeker 05

W Michigan Solar Car Team

Yale University

The John Lee

Team Lux

 

 

 

IF YOUR TEAM OR EVENT IS NOT LISTED HERE,  PLEASE CONTACT US.

 

 

 

 

Heliox - Der Kompakte

 

 

 

SOLAR CAR EVENTS

 

 

American Solar Challenge

American Tour de Sol

American World Solar Challenge - Formula Sun          

Australian World Solar Challenge

Canadian Solar Discovery Challenge

Dream Cup Solar Car Race Suzuka 2003 - Japan

Japanese World Solar Car Rallye

North American Solar Challenge

Phaethon 2004

Solar Express - Solar Bike Race

Sunrayce

SunRace 2003 - Australia

World Solar Car Rally - Japan

World Solar Rallye - Japan

 

 

 

 

THINKING OF BUILDING YOUR OWN SOLAR CAR?  CHECK OUT THE PAGES BELOW AS THEY COME ONLINE........

 

 

1. Chassis - and seating

2. Mechanics - suspension, steering, brakes

3. Motor and drive train

4. Motor controller

5. Solar Array - usually part of body

6. Batteries or fuel cells

7. Electrical System - and instruments

8. Driver Controls - switches, lighting, etc

9. Bodywork - Screen, etc

 

 

SOLAR CAR PART FINDER 

 

 


 

A taste for adventure capitalists

Solar Cola - a healthier alternative.

 

 

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