The latest news of the team.
Vice European Champions
After a very exciting but also exhausting 24 hours the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2021 comes to an end – We are Vice European Champion with the Covestro Sonnenwagen!
At 1 pm on Saturday 18.9. the 24h race started with a spectacular Le Mans style start and all 14 solar cars started into the race. With the Covestro Sonnenwagen we were able to quickly settle into third place, with the Covestro Photon just behind. In the best weather, we were able to go lap by lap. Every two hours the drivers changed and were able to rest before their next stint.
It’s Race Time!
A few minutes ago, our two race cars, the Covestro Photon and the Covestro Sonnenwagen, started in the 24-hour race at Circuit Zolder. After a final night shift and enormous effort from the entire team, both cars successfully rolled out of the pits. The solar cells of the Covestro Photon are still giving us problems at the moment – but the car is running, and we are now looking at what the next 24 hours have in store for us on and off the track. Now we are looking forward to the race and hope for a successful conclusion.
Dynamic Parcours
e have achieved our first success. At the first judged part of the iLumen European Solar Challenge, the Dynamic Parcours, the teams had to prove their skill and speed of pilots and solar cars.
Acceleration, agility and driver precision are measured in different disciplines. For example, our drivers had to accelerate as fast as possible on a straight line, then drive through a cone chicane and finally come to a stop as precisely as possible on a line. The disciplines were then evaluated by the officials and added up to a total score. This score gives 20% of the total challenge points.
Green checkmarks
The race starts early in the morning at 10 a.m. and all teams set off with their solar cars for scrutineering. Right next to the race track, the cars are mechanically and electrically tested by the Challenge officials. 69 pages of regulations have to be fulfilled. For example, we must show that our drivers can get out of the car within 15 seconds. Lisa and Tobias were able to keep their cool and clearly undercut that with 11 seconds.
Back in Zolder
With the setup of the first tents on the campsite next to the race track, the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2021 has finally started. We are looking forward to an exciting race weekend with 11 other solar teams and a total of 14 solar cars. The challenge consists of several stages, which will take place in the next days. First of all, the cars will undergo technical scrutineering. Then the solar cars are allowed to test on the race track and collect the first points for the overall ranking in the dynamic parcours. Finally, we are ready for the highlight – the 24h race from Saturday to Sunday.
A new Solar Challenge
“The SCM 2021 is a brand-new challenge for us,” says Simon Quinker, 2nd chairman of the association, “The event offers the opportunity for us to co-create a Solar Challenge to demonstrate our technical innovations in a new environment.”
The SCM has it all with its 5 stages over a combined 2500 km in 5 days. The starting and finishing point of the race, which runs on public roads and through the Sahara Desert, is Agadir, a port city in southern Morocco.
The 24h race
On Saturday at 1 p.m. the time had finally come: with a LeMans style start the 24-hour race at the Circuit Zolder began – and with it the most important part of the European Solar Challenge. With optimal weather conditions for solar vehicles the racing cars were sent out onto the track to cover the longest possible distance in 24 hours. After some starting problems, the Covestro solar car was able to catch up quickly and was in fifth place behind Punch 2 when the driving strategy received a frightening radio message from the driver of the car: the latter had slipped out of the difficult chicane and turned to the side.
Open Track Day and Dynamic Parcour
The last day before the start of the 24-hour race on the Circuit Zolder was demanding for all departments. After the electrical engineering and chassis departments had been working on the cars until the morning, both rolled out onto the track at nine o'clock in the morning for testing. In the following hours, the drivers had time to adjust to the track and develop a feeling for the curves, chicanes, ups and downs of the track.
Scrutineering - the official start of the ESC
The Scrutineering is done, "all green" for our both solar cars! The past night shifts and today's work have been worth it and our two solar racing vehicles have the starting permission for the 24 hour race from Saturday to Sunday. Most of the points of the European Solar Challenge's Scrutineering are the same as in the World Solar Challenge. But especially the driving at night requires some extra features. For example, the car must be equipped with headlights that are bright enough for the drivers to drive safely in the dark. After some talks and discussions with the officials of the ESC all points could be checked off and we can look forward to an exciting race!In the evening the race management opened the race weekend with a speech and after that we moved the main part of our workshop to our pitbox.
Arrival at Circuit Zolder
The European Solar Challenge is getting closer and closer! The setting up of the camp in Zolder marks the beginning of an intensive racing weekend in Belgium. On the first official day of the event the Scruiteneering - the technical inspection of all participating vehicles - will take place. Here the cars mechnical and electrical components will be checked, to ensure a smooth race and the safety of all participants.
Sonnenwagen shines again
After we spent a lot of time in the workshop the last weeks to free the Covestro Sonnenwagen from the old paint and the underlying damage, it was time to help our solar car shine again.With the surface smoothed and sanded, the next step for us was to go to Hilden, near Düsseldorf.
The Sonnenwagen repair
An important part of the preparations for the European Solar Challenge 2020 is to restore the outer shell of the Covestro Sonnenwagen, which was damaged in our accident in Australia, to its original beauty.
The new regulations of the World Solar Challenge 2021
After a long wait, the new rules for the World Solar Challenge 2021 were published in mid-June. Unlike in the two previous challenges, many things have changed fundamentally this time. We would like to present the biggest changes in the regulations to you now.
The lights in the office are on again
While the relaxations of the Corona measures are being carefully extended, we have decided, in consultation with the local authorities, to reopen our office and workshop. Now, of course, we can't just go back to the status quo of three months ago, but adapt to the new circumstances.
VDE Tec Summit 2020
At the end of February, we were at the VDE Tec Summit in Berlin and displayed our Covestro Sonnenwagen. The event brings together representatives from companies, research, science and students. The topics of this year's summit were digitalization, sustainable concepts for the transportation transition, digital energy systems of the future and future technologies. Thus, we integrated well into the event and were, over the two days, a real eye-catcher.
The management board of the team
The new year started with a big change in our organization: We have elected a new board. Timon Elliger takes over the 1st chair from Markus Eckstein. Timon is studying industrial engineering in his master's degree with a focus on design and development at RWTH Aachen University and helped develop the electric motor for the Covestro Sonnenwagen. He joined the team in December 2017 and knows what it takes to get the next Sonnenwagen on the road.
Finally back home!
Five days after we reached the finish line in Darwin, the World Solar Challenge 2019 was not yet completely over for us. We had to put the Sonnenwagen safely packed into sea freight so that it could start the long journey home to Aachen. After several months at sea, it rolled back onto solid ground in Hamburg for the first time. A part of our team was eagerly waiting on site to finally receive the Sonnenwagen again.
We arrived! - Race Day 6
At about 10:30 on Friday the 18th of October the time had come: The Covestro Sonnenwagen has reached the finish line! The car and the whole team was braved all the adversities of the last week and never gave up. Despite storm winds, a sandstorm, a terrible accident and its consequences, we proved to ourselves what team spirit really means.
Nothing can stop us! - Race Day 5
After yesterday's shock, the mood in the team was again characterized by pure motivation. In the night we finished all the minor repairs again and additionally concealed a few beauty flaws so that the sonnenwagen crosses the finish line in its full splendour. In a relatively short night under a splendid starry sky we prepared ourselves for the possibly last race day and drove off again punctually at 8 A.M.
When you think you have overcome the worst ... - Race Day 4
Just as we ended the previous day in the storm, the next race day began just as stormy. After we had freed the sun car from the sand again, we started the stage to Coober Pedy relieved with the expectation to have survived the worst. But contrary to our hopes, shortly before our arrival at the checkpoint we were even worse hit. It was a consequence of unfortunate events that we could not expect and simulate in this constellation.