The latest news of the team.
New year, new challenges
Our success at the European Solar Challenge drove us into the final spurt of 2018. Looking back, we are proud of the milestones we reached and continue to master on the way to the World Solar Challenge. As with any ambitious team, we also say: “After the race is before THE race”.
The water fight at Zolder
On September 22, it finally started: After months of preparation, we participated for the first time in the European Solar Challenge, a 24-hour race in Zolder, Belgium. The aim is not only to cover the greatest possible distance within 24 hours, but also to score points with innovations in vehicle development, the most consistent lap times over 8 laps and the fastest lap time.
The journey continues!
It's been more than half a year since we returned from Australia as the best newcomer. And since our car from the Australian desert was back on German roads, a lot has changed in the team. A completely new and fresh team has formed, which has now taken on the task and duty of building an even more efficient and competitive solar car.
A prototype in the wind tunnel
Im Frühling dieses Jahres hat unser Team intensiv mit der Planung und Simulation des zukünftigen Sonnenwagens begonnen. Dabei haben sich alle Teams jeweils auf ihre Themenbereiche speziell vorbereitet. Im Sommer gehen wir nun in die Testphase über, wobei wir beispielsweise mit Hilfe eines 3D gedruckten Modells die verschieden wirkenden Kräfte im Windkanal des Instituts für Flugsystemdynamik der RWTH Aachen testen durften.
Immerse yourself in the world of electric racing
On May 18, the elite of electric racing met in the middle of Berlin, as the fast racing cars raced across Berlin's old Tempelhof Airport and the Sonnenwagen was right in the middle of it!
Sun and dissapointment | Diary of the WSC 2017
Today Australia greeted us with a clear sky in the morning. For the first time since the first day of the race, we had an expectation of sun all day long and we could show what our Huawei Sonnenwagen is capable of. We had to do so: Yesterday we drove a lot of kilometers and the next control stop was secured, but until Coober Pedy we had to drive constantly 70 km/h for over 6 hours.
Of storms and emotions | Diary of the WSC 2017
4:30 in the morning. People yelling on the camp ground. It's cooler than usual. It had rained the night before, but something was wrong. Yelling again. Sleepy people in their underwear crawl out of their tents and try to get a picture. "Help me with the car!" you hear Hendrik shouting. A storm front has crossed the camp, it is very windy. Two tents must be held in place to prevent them from flying away.
Changing weather | Diary of the WSC 2017
Finally, the sun is shining again! The third day began with a clear sky for us and we were finally able to recharge our battery while driving. Due to our position of surrounding clouds and the clear sky above us we had up to 1100 watts of power coming from our solar cells. The atmosphere in the team was high!
Race Day 2 or issues upon issues | Diary of the WSC 2017
Last night's bad news: The car only used 70 watts in the evening hours, a fraction of the expected power. This also explained the low battery level, which we didn't expect at our speed at the end of the first day. The solution was only found in the early morning hours: After many complicated assessments of the problem were thought through, it was in the end nothing more than a wobbly contact.
Race Day 1 | Diary of the WSC 2017
Dear fans, friends and family,our Huawei Sonnenwagen has finally started the race! During a festive ceremony, all solar race cars were lined up in the government district of Darwin according to their starting position. After our great success during qualifying yesterday, we started from position no. 5. This fact gave us a small advantage compared to teams starting from later positions.
