The Western Sydney University’s Solar Car Team, with support from the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, has recently unveiled UNLIMITED 3.0.
This is the most technologically advanced car the student-led team has produced to-date.
According to a recent press release, the car will compete in a race across 3,000 kilometres of rugged outback terrain from Darwin to Adelaide in October 2019.
UNLIMITED 3.0 solar car
UNLIMITED 3.0 is aerodynamically optimised with highly efficient solar cells, which will power the entire 3,000km journey using the same amount of energy as a household kettle.
The car is an electric vehicle designed and built over two years to push the boundaries of innovation, powered only by the sun.
The team is incredibly proud of the car they have built almost entirely on campus. They built everything from its custom carbon fibre shell to its bespoke battery pack.
Together, the team put in over 30,000 gruelling hours to design, build and perfect the new car in time for this year’s challenge.
By bringing the production in-house, the team was able to push the boundaries of sustainable design even further.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO, congratulated the team of students on the launch of the car and their tireless dedication to solar power innovation.
According to him, the unveiling of UNLIMITED 3.0 is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of the Solar Car Team.
It also reflects the University’s commitment to providing real-world learning opportunities in STEM.
Competing in solar car challenges
The World Solar Challenge is a bi-annual international race, and this year marks the fourth time that the will compete in the Challenger Class.
The Challenger Class is the most competitive class requiring teams to produce a high-quality single-seat car built for sustained endurance and energy efficiency.
The Event Director has nothing but praises for the team. He found it exciting how far the team has come since its inaugural bid in 2013.
From very humble beginnings, the team has gone from Australian underdog to genuine contender and is one of the spearheads of this year’s Australian charge.
Western Sydney University’s considerable investment in home-grown Australian green-tech innovation and young talent is to be commended.
The University’s Solar Car Team is comprised of 22 students coming from different fields. These fields are:
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Industrial Design
- Visual Communications
The students manage every aspect of the production and design of the vehicle, as well as sponsorship, marketing and the administrative elements of their involvement in the Challenge.
In 2018, the team was the first non-American team to win the American Solar Challenge, a race of 2,837km from Nebraska to Oregon.
