Panasonic World Solar Challenge

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While not strictly an accurate description of this now famous event, which is actually a road race across Australia that is open to anyone in the world to enter, rather than an event encompassing the world.  That small quibble aside, the World Solar Challenge motivates research and development into harnessing solar energy for future transport needs for many years. There is a World Solar Navigation 

Competitors, driven by a motivation to win a prestigious solar event, can also rest easy in the knowledge that they are contributing towards a vital search for sustainable transport alternatives for future generations. The space age cars which travel at various speeds between Darwin and Adelaide on the sun's radiation and human's ingenuity alone give people an appreciation of a cleaner, better future using solar energy.

Australia route map Darwn to Adelaide world solar challenge

Danish born Adventurer, Hans Thostrup, created the World Solar Challenge. To understand what lead him to this, we should try and understand the man. Born in 1944, Tholstrup became a household name when he became the first person to circumnavigate Australia in a 16 foot open boat.

Years of participating in motor sport around the world, especially car rallies saw Hans busy wasting fuel until the fuel crisis in the late seventies. A new life began when he was inspired to find out how far rather than how fast you could go on a litre of petrol. This led to winning economy runs in cars and the establishment of the world's first economy run for trucks, and proving that driving style can be responsible for 30% of the fuel used in the transport of goods.

Another idea, sponsored by BP, was the crossing of Australia on just solar power. Larry Perkins helped Hans to drive the world's first solar car, the "Quiet Achiever", the 4052 kilometres between Sydney and Perth in 20 days. This, the ultimate energy saving crossing, was ten days faster than that by the first petrol engine car.

Hans was determined to build on these developments and continue to drive on the strength of sunshine. With man's first walk on the moon still fresh in people's memory, the time was ripe for solar invention. He felt that a race was the answer and thus the energy R&D event, the World Solar Challenge, was born.

The first World Solar Challenge was staged in 1987, with a field of 23 fantastic cars led by the GM Sunraycer which completed the trip with an average speed of 67km/h.

The cars in 1990 were a great improvement on 1987. Many competitors returned with the strength of experience, and new entries had another three years of R&D to create and refine their vehicles. The 1990 winner was the Biel team from a Swiss Engineering School. The townsfolk of Biel were responsible for donating one dollar each towards the success of the entry. With a school winning such a prestigious event, the World Solar Challenge became known as "Brain Sport".

1993 saw the 1987 GM Sunraycer record broken. Honda took the honours over Biel, and travelled 803 kilometres in one day. Yet again the entire field was impressive, and a sign of the event growing from strength to strength.

The goal of finishing the World Solar Challenge in four days was realised in 1996, when Honda repeated their performance with another stunning win, and a record average speed of 89.76 km/h. For most other competitors however, the race was far from over, with the remainder of the field spread out over 1700 km of the Stuart Highway. Over the ensuing six days a further 32 of the original 46 competitors would cross the finish line to complete their epic 3000km journey.

Following the 1996 event, Tholstrup sold up. The eventual winner of the bids was the State of South Australia, who announced an event in 1998, however many reasons lead to the "deferment" of the 1998 event, which was eventually run in 1999 under the new leadership of Chris Selwood. The 1999 event saw 43 teams from 14 countries traverse the continent, and the Australian "Aurora" team won the event.

A commitment to support the International Solar Energy Society World Congress in 2001 saw the event restaged once more, with new records set. 2001 also saw the introduction of the "Demonstration Class" which was designed to showcase vehicles exhibiting practical technology that has evolved from the World Solar Challenge.

An in depth evaluation of the aims and outcomes of the event, together with a survey of teams and stake holders showed the World Solar Challenge to be the premier solar car event in the world, with a large majority supporting a biennial program.

CONTACTS

Toshiro Kisaka

Managing Director, Panasonic Australia

PRESS RELEASE  -  Tuesday 5th June, 2007 

From:  Hon Jane Lomax-Smith 

Minister for Education & Children's 
Services 
Minister for Tourism 
Minister for the City of Adelaide 

RECORD ENTRIES FOR 2007 PANASONIC WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE 


The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge is claimed to be the ultimate road challenge in sustainable energy and is expecting record entries for this year’s event. 

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith announced today that the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge would have 46 competing teams from 21 countries. 

“Today is World Environment Day and it’s no better time to announce the breadth of teams and countries being represented in this years Panasonic World Solar Challenge. 

“The current team entry list proves that this event is truly inspired by adventure and fuelled by the spirit of friendly competition, attracting teams from research and educational institutions around the world,” Dr Lomax-Smith says. 

“This biennial event is based on a competitive field of solar cars crossing the Australian continent powered by nothing but the sun. 

“Teams are required to research, build and design vehicles capable of completing the 3000km journey from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Adelaide South Australia.” 

2007 will be the 20th anniversary year of the Panasonic World Solar Challenge. This is an energy efficiency challenge, all about creating a balance between sustainable speed and endurance, energy management and strategic planning. 

“The young people committed to participate in this event are destined to be the very ones who will be responsible for delivering these technologies in the future.” 

Since 1987, the purpose of this event has been to promote and celebrate educational and technical excellence, and draw attention to the imperatives of sustainable transport. 

“Whilst the notion of actually driving a solar car on the road as seen in this event may not be likely, it is very likely that we will all be driving electric cars one day,” says Dr Lomax-Smith. 

“Some of that electricity may come from a renewable source such as solar energy quite possibly using technology developed through this event.” 

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment. 

The Panasonic World Solar Challenge is the means to work towards a cleaner, greener and more sustainable environment. 

News Release  -  www.ministers.sa.gov.au

 


The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge will be held from 21-28 October 2007. All cars will depart from Darwin on 21 October and the leading teams are expected to arrive in Adelaide four days later. 

WORLD SOLAR NAVIGATION CHALLENGE 

Two European teams are now planning to try and set world navigation records in a solar powered boat.  The first team is from the United Kingdom, led by Nelson Kruschandl.  His vessel is called Solar Navigator.  The development of this project has been mostly in the backyard and on local waters.  

The second and latest team to decide to go for it as of March 16 2006, are PlanetSolar, a Swiss/French team is made up of 15 persons, 11 concerned with the boat and expedition directly and 4 on a sponsorship committee - as listed below.

THE BOATS

Teams entered in the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge to date are: 

Ashiya University Solar Car Project -  Japan 

Aurora Vehicle Association Inc  -  Australia 

Aurora Vehicle Association Inc  -  Australia 

Blue Sky Solar Racing  - Canada 

CPDM-UM Solar Team - Malaysia 

Esteban - Canada 

FH Bochum Solar Car Team - Germany 

Gwawr - Wales 

Hachinohe Institute of Technology - Japan 

Helios - France 

Heliox Solar Team - Switzerland 

Houston Solar Car Race Team - USA 

Kansas State University Solar Car Racing Team - USA 

Leeming Senior High School - Australia 

McMaster Solar Car Project - Canada 

Nanyang Technological University Solar Car Team - Singapore 

Nuon Solar Team - Netherlands 

Oregon State University Solar Vehicle Team  - USA 

Persian Gazelle  -  Iran 

Phoenix Solar Car Team - Taiwan 

Queens University Solar Vehicle Team  -  Canada 

Solar Fern Racing  -  New Zealand 

Solar Team Amsterdam  -  Netherlands 

Solar Team Twente  -  Netherlands 

Southern Aurora  - Australia 

Stanford Solar Car Project  - USA 

Sun Speed  - France 

Sunstang Solar Car Project  -  Canada 

SURIA KAR 2 UTM  -  Malaysia 

Swisspirit  -  Switzerland 

TAFE SA Alternative Energy Vehicle Group  -  Australia 

Team JonaSun  -  Japan 

Team Sinag  -  Phillippines 

Team Solaris  -  India 

Techno Energie  -  Senegal 

Towards Tomorrow  -  Australia 

Toyko Salesian Polytech Solar Car Team   -  Japan 

Uchile-Conecta  -  Chile 

UCL (London)  -  UK 

Uludao University  -  Turkey 

Umicore Solar Team  -  Belgium 

University of Calgary Solar Team  -  Canada 

University of Michigan Solar Car Team  -  USA 

University of Waterloo Midnight Sun  -  Canada 

UNSW Solar Racing Team  -  Australia 

USB Solar - Venezuela 

Willetton ATP  -  Australia 

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