Team Sonnenwagen and EA Elektro-Automatik are pushing the limits of sustainable mobility at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.Team Sonnenwagen und EA Elektro-Automatik verschieben bei der Bridgestone World Solar Challenge die Grenzen nachhaltiger Mobilität
Sonnenwagen Aachen is a team of 50 ambitious students from RWTH and FH Aachen who are building a solar-powered racing car. By combining their university knowledge with the experience of research centers and industrial partners, they are constantly pushing the limits of what is technically feasible. They strongly believe that sustainable mobility needs to be rethought and want to demonstrate new approaches that will hopefully be implemented in the future. Creative ideas in their design, optimized manufacturing processes and the use of innovative materials culminate in an ultra-efficient solar car. The best opportunity for Team Sonnenwagen to prove their concept is the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, which takes place every 2 years in Australia with the participation of internationally renowned universities.
The goal of the challenge is to cross the Australian outback as quickly as possible, covering 3022 kilometers from Darwin to Adelaide using only solar power. The challenge presents an exciting test of engineering, as the competition’s regulations evolve each season, necessitating constant research, development, and innovation. All of these are essential elements for finding new solutions for green mobility and a sustainable future.Key to success in this competition is optimizing both efficiency and reliability. Given that the entire 3,000-kilometer journey must be completed without recharging the vehicle’s battery, the solar energy collected is inherently limited. As a result, every aspect of the car must be engineered for maximum efficiency. In 2023, Team Sonnenwagen Aachen participated with its latest vehicle, the Covestro Adelie, which was meticulously designed to meet these demanding requirements. The vehicle features an aerodynamic shape inspired by the Adelie penguin. A lightweight chassis made from carbon composite materials and a custom-developed drivetrain contribute to an impressive weight of only 158 kg.
Such unique applications require innovative self-development, and Sonnenwagen’s electrical department is fully aware of it. By pushing the limits year by year in the design of the battery, as well as the development of the motor and inverter, Covestro Adelie`s energy consumption rate has been reduced to just 1 kWh per 100 kilometers.The car’s performance is enabled by a complex integration of electrical and mechanical systems. Given the harsh conditions of the race, the reliability of these components is crucial, as any failure could lead to costly delays during repairs. To decrease this risk, every component undergoes rigorous testing prior to the competition. In this context, programmable bi-directional power supplies from EA Elektro-Automatik play a critical role in the testing process for the vehicle’s electrical systems, particularly the solar generator, inverter, and battery.
EA’s bi-directional power supplies are indispensable for evaluating and optimizing the car’s battery performance. These power supplies enable both charging and discharging of the battery under controlled conditions. When discharging, the power supply acts as an electrical load, but instead of dissipating the energy as heat, it feeds it back into the power grid, ensuring energy efficiency. These capabilities allow the team to accurately assess the battery capacity and examine the thermal behavior.
With the built-in function generator in the EA power supplies, the team can simulate real-world driving conditions and stress test the battery. Using battery power input and output values from logged during previous races the battery can be tested in race conditions even before the car is fully assembled and shipped to Australia. This allows for extensive pre-race analysis and fine-tuning of the vehicle’s electrical systems. EA ElektroAutomatik’s programmable bidirectional power supplies have proven to be essential tools for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the vehicles built by Team Sonnenwagen and contribute to the team’s ongoing efforts to push the boundaries of solar-powered mobility.
Ultra-efficient motors for tomorrow’s electromobility