THIS must be the ultimate gap year. Design and build a solar car, ship it to Oz then race it 3,000km from Darwin to Adelaide, before headhunters from Tesla and Google. That is exactly what 44 students from Durham University, Cambridge University and Ardingly College, a prep school in West Sussex, did by competing in […]
THIS must be the ultimate gap year.
Design and build a solar car, ship it to Oz then race it 3,000km from Darwin to Adelaide, before headhunters from Tesla and Google.
That is exactly what 44 students from Durham University, Cambridge University and Ardingly College, a prep school in West Sussex, did by competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
Can you imagine a car running at 70mph using the same power as a kettle? Well, THEY could. And they built it.
Durham contested the Challenger class for super-aerodynamic, single-seat racers, above.
Although their three women drivers didn’t make the podium, it was still the best British performance in 32 years.
Team leader James Marriott said: “It was an amazing experience. Our progress in two years is like night and day. The end result is the most efficient vehicle in the UK.”
Cambridge and Ardingly entered the Cruiser class for cars with a minimum of two seats that could, in theory, be used in the real world.
These wildly ranging wacky racers were judged by an expert panel — including yours truly — on factors including design, comfort and innovation.
In all, 47 teams from 23 countries took up the challenge, under the watchful eye of bosses from some of the world’s biggest tech firms. One was Tesla design engineering manager Jay Manley, himself a former competitor in the World Solar Challenge.
He told me: “People admire persistence and an ability to adapt to failure. Demonstrate that, and everyone will want to get behind you.”
Talking of failure, one car got burned to a crisp. More on that later.
Another former competitor is Google co-founder Larry Page, these days one of the world’s richest men.
The nature of a solar race on public roads through the middle of nowhere in Australia raises a plethora of unique issues. These include tactical traffic light timing to prevent stopping and dodging wild kangeroos.
And when the sun goes down and the racing stops, the teams are faced with fresh challenges as they camp by the roadside in the outback. There are 66 venomous species in Australia, apparently. Sleep well in your tent, won’t you?
Dutch outfit Solar Team Eindhoven scored its third successive win in the Cruiser class.
Their car was so well-finished, it could have qualified for its own Aussie number plate, having passed official road-legal standards. It could even double as a mobile charging station and donate the power it harnessed from the sun to other cars, devices . . . even households.
Not only that, it can park itself autonomously in a sunnier spot to maximise static re-charging.
Two other Dutch racers suffered unprecedented fates. Both were leading the Challenger class at the time.
Team Twente’s car got blown off the road and straight out of the race with a freak crosswind outside Alice Springs.
Vattenfall’s contender — boasting a unique ultra-aerodynamic “shark skin” film finish and bespoke solar panel tech costing the price of a Lamborghini — spontaneously combusted, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash and broken hearts.
It was a tragic end for a team who pulled 70-hour weeks for 14 months and looked set to take the top prize.
But these are the failures that drive inspired people not to give up and achieve — in two years’ time the student teams will be back with fresh faces, new ideas and a sunny disposition to win.
Now you might well be thinking we don’t need solar-powered cars in soggy Britain. And you are right.
But the World Solar Challenge is becoming ever more relevant as we search for sustainable methods to power our transport.
That is exactly what these students are testing, the problems they are solving, here in Australia’s wilderness. Like how to power a car for as long as possible on as little energy as possible.
Their discoveries will duly feed back into the cars we are all driving in the near future.
Q) I HAVE a Hyundai i20 diesel from 2014 bought off a Hyundai dealer in August 2017. I have diesel going into my engine oil. I’m told this is to do with regeneration. Is it?
The garage has had my car a long time. The warranty ran out in October and I have involved the motors ombudsman.
Michael Corbett
A) There is some truth in this. Early attempts at regeneration could involve over-fuelling, which can in some instances lead to fuel contamination of the engine oil.
There is no doubt it’s a fault with the car, not a problem you caused. Hopefully you have heard back from the ombudsman now.
Don’t be fobbed off. Your i20 has a serious fault and Hyundai should fix it.
Q) I OWN a 2011 Honda Civic 1.4 which I bought in May 2012 with 2,500 miles on the clock. It failed its MoT this year on a broken offside coil spring. Shouldn’t that last the car’s lifetime? It has still only done 25,500 miles.
Alex, Scarborough
A) You are unlucky to have one fail with such low mileage but broken springs on all cars are increasingly commonplace.
Roads in a poor state of repair and speed bumps don’t help. There is little you can do other than pay to replace the spring.
Q) THREE years ago I bought a Nissan Micra Vibe. I am now a volunteer driver for a local hospice and many of my disabled passengers have trouble getting in and out.
I can’t afford anything too grand. What would you recommend that has higher seats and more legroom? I need an automatic and not a diesel.
Joan, Co Durham
A) Try a first-generation Qashqai, built 2006 to 2013). You should find a petrol auto (it’s a CVT on the Mk1) from around £5k and it should be reliable and roomy for your passengers.
