World Solar Challenge: 3,000 km in Australia only with the energy of the sun

Who said they need great batteries to travel long distances? In Australiaevery two years, there is a race that overturns the rules: 3 thousand kilometers From Darwin to Adelaide, in the heart of one of the most hostile deserts on the planet, using only the energy of the sun. Is called Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and brings together the brightest minds of universities, companies and start-ups around the world. And, indirectly, also car manufacturers who financially support some of the teams. The goal is not to demonstrate that asolar car can replace a standard car, but push the research to the limit and experiment with new solutions that could define the Future of electric mobility. Aerodynamics, materials, software, energy management, tires: each component becomes an open -air innovation laboratory.

the regulation

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The competition is divided into two categories. There Challenger Class It is the most extreme: here the cars are reduced to the essential, very small and light, are designed to obtain absolute efficiency, with photovoltaic panels limited to six square meters that power a 3 kWh battery. They look like drops of water, designed to minimize aerodynamic resistance. There Cruiser classInstead, it represents a bridge to reality: larger cars, with at least two places and greater (even if marginal) attention to design, comfort and practicality. But above all, the cruisers can rely on a larger battery, from 15 kWhwhich recharges overnight. Here it is not enough to be fast, it is also necessary to show solutions that tomorrow could be applicable on series cars. In both cases, the teams face a long series of technical evaluations by the judges to be admitted. After that, a long route It is very difficult, passing through mandatory checkpoints and caught on the roadside at the sunset. The extreme heat, the lateral wind and limited autonomy transform the race into one challenge of pure resistance.

The goal is not solar

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Contrary to what one might think, the aim It is not to prove that solar panels can replace commercial cars batteries. Modern cars are too heavy and the needs of autonomy too high to rely exclusively in the sun: they would serve panels of far superior surfaces. The real mission of the World Solar Challenge is another: to experiment advanced technologies and transfer them, at least in part, to the vehicles of the future. Ultralight materials and innovative composites are studied, increasingly refined energy management software, avant -garde aerodynamic solutions and, above all, tires. Some young engineers involved explain that about 30% of the overall aerodynamic resistance of a car is generated by the wheels. That’s why Bridgestonetitle sponsor of the race, uses the event as an advanced development platform for Enliten technology, creating ad hoc tires that weigh just 1.4 kg And they reduce rolling resistance to a minimum. However, such an extreme solution has a limited duration, about 800 kilometers, which forces the teams to plan multiple tire changes during the race and integrate this variable in the general strategy.

Watch out for sustainability

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The exhausted tires, at the end of the race, come intended for recycling. All, except for some selected that Bridgestone uses to collect useful data for the development of road tires. The technologies studied on this occasion will be incorporated in the future in the range of road tires Enlitenon which Bridgestone does not only take care of performance, but also sustainability. On the tire designed for the Solar Racespecifically, the Japanese company introduced recycled materials for the first time such as Carbon Black regenerated and recovered steel, developed through advanced pyrolysis processes. And for the logistics of the expedition to Australia, it has relied on sustainable maritime fuels, reducing CO₂ emissions up to 85%.

Italian talents

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This year between the thirty -four teams Participants are also two Italian realities. Solar wave ofUniversity of Bologna competes with the spectacular Emilia 5.9, one Solar car category Cruiser. Red, as the tradition of Italian races requires, the car is entirely made of carbon fiber, including patented suspension, unique in the world. Extremely refined in their simplicity, the rear ones allow you to be rapidly regulated through a wedge, also in carbon, while the fronts have a look that recalls the world of the supercar. There is then Archimedesa Syracuse start-up specialized in satellites, who chose this race to show its sos satellite technology, building in just one year and with a very reduced budget its car, also using Dallara’s support for aerodynamic development. A remarkable feat, despite the fact that the race has interrupted prematurely for technical problems. To link Italy to the World Solar Challenge there is also the history of the Abruzzo engineer Giuseppe Coiawhich this year collaborates as Advisor with the University of Tokai. Coia has been participating in the competition since 1999, when with a group of friends he made his first sun car, building carbon components in an artisanal way and even using the compressor of a refrigerator to create the void in the molding phase. Today, with the same passion of twenty -six years ago, he puts his experience at the service of the flagship teams, forming a new generation of engineers.

The future of the automotive

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So what is the World Solar Challenge? Even more than a race, it is a Talent incubator and an accelerator of innovation. Students and start-ups compare themselves on real projects and learn to manage pressure, to collaborate and develop sustainable solutions with limited budgets and restricted times. Large companies know it well and for this they invest in this event, providing materials, know-how and technical support. Many of the technologies that are tested in the Australian desert today could end up on our streets in the coming years. And the young participants, in the future they could design everyday cars.