SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY, LONDON, UK

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A British team led by Mike Duke, notable for its success on a small budget.  This University based team produced several vehicles, each building on the successes of the previous.  

 

Mad Dog III is the latest solar powered car to be be designed and built by staff and students in the School of Engineering Systems and Design at SBU: the team comprised of teaching and technical staff Mike Duke, Andy Shacklock, Nigel Burgess, Del Cook, Steve Probert and Tony Roberts. Other team members included Thorsten Leschinski, Andreas Lins and Holger Woelke who, in June '99, completed the final year of the BEng Mechatronics degree at South Bank in conjunction with the Fachhochschule, Bochum in Germany and last but not least Terry Brown, another South Bank graduate from BEng Mechanical Engineering.

 

 

 

Mad Dog - World Solar Challenge

 

 

The project was initiated after the World Solar Solar Rallye in Japan. The team learnt a great deal from racing the previous car, Mad Dog II; improvements and developments were subsequently incorporated into the latest car. It is more sophisticated having more efficient solar cells, telemetry and a more comfortable seating position. The original intention to use a  hybrid combination of Nickel-Metal-Hydride and Lead-Acid batteries was amended due to concerns about safety and charging time. Lead-Acid batteries alone were used in the World Solar Challenge. The overall body shape is also more aerodynamically efficient.

 

Preliminary design work and evaluation took place in the various Shool of Engineering Systems and Design labs; this proved a valuable educational experience for the student team members who worked closely with lecturing staff. On completion and following the press launch, the car was shipped to Australia for the 1999 World Solar Challenge.

 

 

 

Most of the building took place in the SESD workshops. Prior to construction of the actual car chassis, a wooden 'tub' was built to test the electrical, mechanical,
suspension and steering systems. The three wheeled car is driven by a T-Flux motor linked to the single rear wheel.

 

 

 

The 'tub was first tested in the University car park and then, thanks to the Science Museum, at Wroughton air base near Swindon. Although the runways are straight and flat,
there was an opportunity to really stretch all the various systems : the linking roads have inclines and bends.

 

            Pic

 

 

The monocoque chassis is constructed from Nomex honeycomb carbon fibre. Ergonomic considerations were incorporated in the design of the seat and the driver's 'bubble' to ensure that the drivers are as comfortable as possible in the searing temperatures of the Australian desert. The separately constructed nose cone fitted the rest of the chassis perfectly!
Prior to constructing the array, the chassis was taken to QC Motors, a specialist company whose clients include formula one racing teams, for painting.

 

 

Mad Dog IV


Design work for Mad Dog IV is in progress at South Bank University, and the new car will be constructed at the Fachhochschule, Bochum for competition in the 2003 World Solar Challenge. In addition to SAFT Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries, the car will use the purpose built battery management system developed by the S.T.R.C. and retailed through the subsidiary company SOLION. The team is also collaborating with Gocherman Solar Technologies and the new car will use the specially laminated gallium arsenide photovoltaic (solar) cells with an efficiency of up to 28%.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Long Range Electric Passenger Vehicle

 

In addition to the development of racing vehilces, staff and students in the S.T.R.C. and rresearchers at the University of Queensland (in Australia) are designing two new Long range Electric Passenger Vehicles for demonstration in 2003. Each vehicle will comprise a lightweight aluminium chassis (originally developed for the Lotus Elise), a lightweight composite and / or polycarbonate body shell and high efficiency components in order to extend range to about 125 miles (200km) on one battery charge and so well beyond that of current electric cars at approximately 50 miles (80km).

 

 

 

 

Lithium-ion battery system developed at the Sustainable Transport Research Centre and designed specifically for solar car use  now available from SOLION (download pdf)

 

Why not visit their website for more information: Team Mad Dog

 

 

Contacts:

 

 

Dr. Mike Duke

 

 

Sustainable Transport Research Centre
Engineering Systems
London South Bank University 
103 Borough Road
London SE1 0AA 

Tel:
+44 (0)20 7815 7678

Fax:
+44 (0)20 7815 7699

 

 

Mike Duke  |  Deborah Andrews  |  Nigel Burgess
 

 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Friedbert Pautzke
Faschhochschule Bochum
Tel: +49 234 321 0343

 

 


 


 

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

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.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

During these competitions, students learn about solar panels, electric motors, electronics, vehicle chassis, bodywork, aerodynamics, suspension, batteries and how to solve practical problems during the design process, while working as a team.  It's demanding stuff and more fun that laying in bed watching TV, where individuals may seek inspiration, but achieve very little.

 

 

 

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

Solar Cola - a healthier alternative

 

 

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The content of this website is copyright © and design copyright 1991 and 2006 Electrick Publications and NJK. All rights reserved. The bluebird logo and name Bluebird and Blue Max are trademarks.  The BE2 and BE3 vehicle shape and configuration are registered designs ®.  All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.  Max Energy Limited is an environmental educational charity.