Student
18/10/2019

Solar Team heading for fourth world title

Solar car Stella Era has crossed the finish line of the World Solar Challenge in Adelaide with the highest efficiency score (111.7). The student team Solar Team Eindhoven is now well on its way to becoming world champion for the fourth time in the class for passenger cars (the Cruiser Class). The team has a substantive lead, but only on Sunday, after the jury's assessment of the practical applicability, we will know for sure whether it can take home the world title.

by Persteam TU/e

photo Bart van Overbeeke

The car from Eindhoven is the only Dutch car in the 'Cruiser Class'. On the route of more than 3,000 kilometres from North to South Australia, strong winds proved to be the main challenge. As a result, Solar Team Eindhoven's four-seater car was at times unable to drive at full occupancy, making it vulnerable to competition from the two-seater cars. According to the rules of Cruiser Class, driving with more passengers gives extra points.

Contrary to previous editions, the teams were only allowed to charge their solar car twice on the road on a normal charging station, so that the longest stage on one battery charge was 1200 kilometres. Only two cars arrived at the checkpoint on time, including Stella Era, making sure they avoided the penalty time. The final efficiency score was determined by the number of passenger kilometres and the amount of energy consumed.

Stella Era on dag 6. Photo | Bart van Overbeeke

Extremely proud

Team manager Carijn Mulder is very proud of the team and the car. "Due to a lot of setbacks in the last few weeks we weren’t sure whether we could finish the long stages at all. The team has been focused until the last moment and will also show what Stella Era has to offer on Saturday."

On Saturday the teams will be judged on the comfort and innovations of their solar car. "Stella Era was not only built for the World Solar Challenge, but mainly with the aim of developing a car that really gets the most out of the sun. We are confident that Stella Era, as a self-propelled charging station, will also get a good score here", says Carijn.

Solar Team Eindhoven, which has been in existence since 2012, has already led to a viable spin-off: the company Lightyear, which builds an electric car with integrated solar panels.

The winner will be announced on Sunday, during the award ceremony, which lasts from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm CET. So at 2.00 p.m at the latest we will know for sure whether Solar Team Eindhoven will be taking home the world title for the fourth time.

For images of the Stella Car and the finish of the World Solar Challenge in Adelaide check Flickr.

Share this article

Student
09/03/2023

Solar Team Eindhoven will build an off-road car

At the end of July, the new solar car Stella Terra will shine in the Atlas Mountains in Marocco and in the Sahara. In any case, that is what Wisse Bos, team manager of the Solar Team Eindhoven (STE), has set his sights on. "With this off-road car, we hope to literally pick up where the last team left things in 2021 with the Stella Vita camper; in Tarifa, Spain. That's why we want to make the crossing to Africa." But first a robust and aerodynamic car must be built. This afternoon the concept was presented to the partners.

view article

Student
03/09/2020

STE takes Vie and Era to European Championships for solar cars

Solar Team Eindhoven presented solar car Stella Era to the press and to its business partners today. Presentations were held in the Market Hall of MetaForum this morning and at the Automotive Campus in Helmond in the afternoon. The new team was presented, and the car’s practical uses, apart from its driving performance, were shown for the first time. Long-distance driving will be tested later this month during the European Solar Challenge.

view article

Research Student
21/10/2019

Gold again for Solar Team Eindhoven in Australia

Solar Team Eindhoven has taken top honors in the Cruiser Class of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (WSC) for the fourth time in a row. The team completed the more than three thousand kilometer long stage from Darwin to Adelaide with the highest efficiency score of all teams. Also in the assessment of the solar cars by the professional jury, yesterday, the team outscored its rivals by far.

view article

Research Student
14/10/2019

Solar Team Eindhoven takes the lead in Australia after disappointing start

After two days of racing, Solar Team Eindhoven has taken the lead in the Cruiser class of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. This has been achieved in spite of the disappointment the TU/e crew had to deal with on Sunday morning (Australian time), shortly after the start: at the foot of a hill in a traffic jam in Darwin, the solar family car Stella Era came to a complete standstill and couldn't tackle the incline. The team felt they had no choice but to 'jettison' three passengers, a move that would cost them points in the first stage.

view article

Student
08/09/2019

TU/e solar car will appear at the start despite damage

Solar Team Eindhoven expects to participate in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia next month as planned, despite serious transport damage to the solar roof of its car. Whether the expected lower efficiency (and consequently, lower energy gain) of one of the car’s solar panels will stand in the way of the TU/e team’s fourth world title remains to be seen.

view article

Cursor

This is student life at TU/e

Solar Team heading for fourth world title

Extremely proud

Extremely proud

Discussion

Send Comment

Tags

Most read articles