The Australian National University (ANU) solar car team are ready to set off on an adventure, leaving Canberra on Saturday 30 September to drive all the way to Darwin for the Bridgestone World Solar Car Challenge 2023.
ANU Solar Racing is the University’s official solar racing team, a 100 per cent student-run team that designs and builds solar powered cars to compete in the biennial challenge.
This year’s event is being held 22-29 October from Darwin to Adelaide.
Having made the journey to Darwin by successfully navigating quarantine, customs, scrutineering, safety inspections and undertaken event briefings, participants start their epic road journey.
The ANU Solar Car team will be driving their custom built car “Solar Spirit” in the Challenger class event.
The Challenger Class is the classic solar car born of original concept: Build a car capable of driving from Darwin to Adelaide on the silent power of nature. They are required to travel from Darwin to Adelaide (c.3000km) in a single stage, with teams stippling and making camp in the desert wherever they are at 5pm (NT time). It is an extreme endurance challenge where the secrets of success will include efficiency, reliability and attention to detail.
This is what the team had to say:
As a relatively newer team, this will be our third time participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Building upon successes in 2017 and 2019, we are proud and excited to be racing our latest solar car which is a product of the dedication and hard work of our team.
The design philosophy of ‘Solar Spirit’ is Innovation. Efficiency. Performance.
These form our car’s design philosophy and it’s our obsession with these that pushes us towards greatness.
We’ve set out to build our best car yet, and, through our tenacity, we’re proud to say that we’ve done just that: our latest solar car being more than 30 per cent more aerodynamic than any of our previous cars.
Our car is a harmonious fusion where form meets function in perfect balance. Every aspect is meticulously crafted to minimise drag, enhance stability, and showcase cutting-edge innovations – the culmination of thousands of hours of research and design.
As the only team from the Australian capital, we’re proud to represent our community, the University, and the School of Engineering.
We wish the team - which includes 37 students and 5 ANU College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics staff members - the best of luck and look forward to hearing all about it.