World Solar Challenge 2015, Parade at Victoria Square in Adelaide, Australia (photo of sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at sunisthefuture.net)
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Yes, this is the year to celebrate the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge’s 30th Anniversary in Australia! The event began on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, at State Square, in front of the Parliament House of Northern Territory (at 6:00 am-8:30 am, with the first car leaving at 8:30 am) and expect to see the solar car teams arriving at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga of Adelaide, Australia (between Wednesday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017). After teams of students from 30 countries designed and built their own solar cars, they have traversed 3,000 km between Darwin and Adelaide in 5-8 days, to meet the challenge of 3 classes of World Solar Challenge of 2017: Challenger Class; Cruiser Class; and Adventure Class.
World Solar Challenge was the brain child of solar pioneer Hans Tholstrup and car racer Larry Perkins. In 1982, they embarked on a quest to drive a home-built solar car The Quiet Achiever across Australia from West to East. Hans also enthusiastically urged others to explore and develop solar transport. So, the World Solar Challenge was born. Inaugurated in 1987 with pioneer sponsor, the South Australian Tourism Commission, the World Solar Challenge continues to showcase the development of advanced automotive technology and promote alternatives to conventional vehicle engines.
Using no more than six square meters of solar panels, bright young minds from different parts of the world are on track in developing efficient solar powered electric vehicles. Every two years, teams from international universities and technical institutes gather with private entrepreneurs at Down Under to promote the knowledge and fact that sun/solar is the future.
Above are photos and videos from World Solar Challenge 2015. Keep in mind that these solar car teams will be arriving tomorrow Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga, Adelaide, Australia. If you will be near Adelaide, check out Victoria Square for views of many interesting designs of solar cars.
To find out the motivation behind organizing this event, please feel free to view the video of an interview with Event Organizer Chris Selwood in 2013, below:
To find out the updated result for all teams and all classes and to see all the solar cars at World Solar Challenge 2017, please click HERE.
To find all the supportive Scientific Faculty behind World Solar Challenge, please click HERE.
For Regulations of the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, please click HERE.
For World Solar Challenge web site, please click HERE.
For more on healthy, happy, and sustainable living, please feel free to visit: Windermere Sun, www.WindermereSun.com, an online publication promoting community activities, businesses, and collaborations for healthy, happy, and sustainable living.
Capturing The Sun is also available at www.sunisthefuture.com (credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)
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This is a presentation titled “Clean Disruption: 100% Electric Transportation and 100% Solar Energy By 2030“, presented to AltCars Expo and Conference in Santa Monica, CA, by Tony Seba, on Sep. 19, 2014. In his matter of fact manner, Mr. Seba pointed out the historical pattern of disruptions from the past as a way to help us to envision our future of Solar-Electric-Self Driving Vehicles, below:
Mr. Seba points out the 5 reasons why EV (electric vehicle) is “disruptive”:
Electric Motor is 5x+ more energy efficient than the internal combustion engine (ICE).
EV energy costs are 10x cheaper than ICE vehicle.
EV maintenance costs are 5-10x cheaper than ICE vehicle.
Wireless charging
Electric Motor is far more powerful than ICE.
The question to ask now is: how long will the transition take from ICE to EV? It is comforting to know that since 2010, the battery costs have been dropping at ~16%/year as a result of 3 multi-trillion dollar industries (IT/Electronics, Automotive, and Energy) all interested in investing in battery technology. The simple fact that Tesla’s $5 Billion Battery GigaFactory is being built will double world battery production and will bring down the battery pack costs by >30%, leading to the eventual cost of an average EV at US$31,000 by 2020 and low-end EV at US$21,000 by 2022. Therefore, mass migration from ICE (gasoline) to electric vehicles is anticipated to occur around 2017-2018 and 100% of mainstream cars will be electric by 2030.
Another functionality of the EV is its eventual autonomous feature. Along with this feature, there will be improved highway capacity and higher efficiency. This will translate to a shrinking auto industry and shrinking need of parking spaces or need of car ownerships. Solar industry has been growing exponentially 43%/year since 2000. If such growth rate continues, 100% of the energy in the world will be solar by 2030. We will be facing a new world, a cleaner, healthier, and more efficient world.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, photographed, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
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Are you ready for the fast approaching World Solar Challenge 2013, from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia, between Oct. 6-13, 2013? This year, the largest class is Challenger Class. Even after five teams (solar cars) have already withdrawn, there are still twenty-four solar cars in contention. Remember, in 2013, Challenger Class Solar EVs must have four wheels! Please refer to/Click: Regulations for the 2013 World Solar Challenge.
For a look at some of the vehicles participating in the Challenger Class, below:
This post may had been prepared/written earlier than the day it appears, but right after the finish of the Veolia World Solar Challenge (world solar car race of twenty countries, 3021 km (1877 mi) between Darwin, Australia, to Angle Vale (official finish line) and Adelaide (ceremonial finish line), Australia, and thirty-seven solar cars) I had to fly to a location/ country where my internet access was not very convenient (it kept on being disconnected whenever I tried to write). However, I was able to load up various video clips onto youtube and I hope many of you have been enjoying these videos about the Veolia World Solar Challenge of 2011. I understand one of you from Netherland is trying to gather as much information about the race as possible. Since this is my first time covering Veolia World Solar Challenge, or WSC (and only had time and budget for the start and end of the race), I hope these photos I took and video clips I uploaded (and filmed by Mike) to youtube will help to meet part of your need. I promise you in two years (next Veolia World Solar Challenge) more detailed coverage about the scrutineering process (before the race) and events along the race will be included. Please keep in mind that the goal and focus of this World Solar Challenge is to increase greater awareness and education for our future generations in application of solar energy in cars and to stimulate greater interest in math, science, and engineering. The emphasis is both in how far and how fast (rather than just how fast) these solar cars can go using energy from the sun. As a matter of fact, part of the rule this year had actually restricted total surface area of the solar cells to 6 sq m and of which only 3 sq m can be of GaAs (gallium arsenide) so to even the playing field. Facility is available if a solar car needs to be “trailered” when insufficient sunshine is available for the duration of the race. This year, due to the extra challenges of cloudiness, rain, and bush fire, only about 7 out of 37 solar cars were able to finish the course completely using solar energy. The atmosphere at WSC is friendly and encouraging rather than fiercely competitive. One finds this to be true either in the scrutineering process (insuring safety of drivers/pilots and those around), tracking of the timing (please refer to: http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/files/318_2011_veolia_world_solar_challenge_provisional_results_pending_protests.pdf), or in the finish presentation (ritual dip in the Victoria Fountain by all teams (those that were not too shy or too cold) at the end of the race or not so ritual “burning rubber” of the German team). Finally, I’d like to take my hat off to Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 team for being able to pull off a race of this magnitude (involving solar cars from twenty countries) with mostly volunteers working together to make this race work. Running an organization composed of mostly volunteers is not the same as running a normal company (I’ve had experience in both and believe me, running an organization composed mostly of volunteers is not easy!). So, if any of you out there with good ideas (to help improve the solar car race), funding, or time to volunteer, perhaps you’d like to contact Mr. Chris Selwood (leader and rightful owner of Veolia World Solar Challenge) and/or the organization at http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/contact_us For the ease and convenience of our readers’ pleasures, there are written descriptions for these solar cars with each of the youtube video clip of the interviews for its team members. So please be sure to read (click on “Show more” at each youtube clip) about the descriptions for these solar cars. I tried to take photograph and to interview as many of the participating solar cars of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 as possible, but due to time constraint, please forgive me if I missed any one. With regard to all the video interviews at youtube, if any of the interviewees’ names is either misspelled or not mentioned, please feel free to contact me at sunisthefuture@gmail.com so I can make the necessary modification. Below, you will find links to our youtube clips/interviews with various teams and photographs of these solar cars. Keep in mind that these videos and photos pertaining to Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 are under Creative Commons as long as you would attribute it/them to Sun Is The Future at http://sunisthefuture.net There will be more posts on human interest stories and lessons learned regarding Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 later.
Nuon Solar Team’s Nuna 6 (Netherlands), 2nd Winning Team that arrived at Adelaide, Australia
9. Arrival of Nuna 6 of Nuon Solar Team (Netherlands), Second Winning Team of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011, at Victoria Square of Adelaide, Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdNZei5kJmw
University of Michigan’s Quantum (USA), 3rd Winning Team that arrived at Adelaide, Australia
11. Arrival of Quantum of University of Michigan (USA), Top Third Winning Team of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011, at Victoria Square of Adelaide, Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6yO30-5Q8
12. Interview with Ashiya University (Japan) Solar Car Project’s Ashiya Sky Ace V team (4th car that arrived) member at Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtkKA2MKyYs
Ashiya University Solar Car Project’s Ashiya Sky Ace V (Japan), 4th Winning Team arriving at Adelaide, Australia
MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team’s Chopper Del Sol (USA)
25. Interview with MIT’s Chopper Del Sol (USA) team member minutes before the beginning of the race at Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8r2rVpfnEM
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
Despite his busy schedule during the Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011, Mr. Chris Selwood managed to squeeze in a terrific interview with Sun Is The Future, so to enable our readers to have a better understanding of the history and purpose behind Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011. Mr. Selwood is a man of positive energy, enthusiasm, and vision. He was previously seen in our footage as the Master of Ceremony on Oct. 16, 2011, at the Open Ceremony of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 in Darwin, Australia (in front of the Parliament House), and the voice behind the announcement as each and every one of the solar cars pulled in to the Victoria Square (the ceremonial finish line) of Adelaide, Australia. He deserves a great round of applause from all of us who have participated/viewed/reported in/on Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 for he had brought energy and vision to all of our hopes in the future for solar energy. Without further ado, here we have Mr. Chris Selwood:
written, interviewed, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com, filmed by Michael Nunamaker
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
On Friday of Oct. 21, 2011, around 10:15 A.M., the enthusiastic crowd waited for arrival of Nuna 6 of Nuon Solar Team (Netherland) and Quantum of University of Michigan (USA), at the Victoria Square of Adelaide, Australia. As Nuna 6 was seen coming down King William St., gradually approaching Victoria Square, the crowd no longer contains themselves and started banging on the plastic advertising bulletins…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdNZei5kJmwfor they knew that Nuna 6 and Quantum had already arrived at the official finish line, Angle Vale, the day before at 2:12 P.M. and 3:55 P.M., respectively, but decided to reach for the ceremonial finish line, Victoria Square, today (Oct. 21, 2011).
As Nuna 6 lands on the equivalent of its red carpet, but dark grey in this case, reporting crews and the crowd swarms toward this marvelous solar vehicle of reliability and efficiency. Every step of its progression reflects its vision of teamwork, from its supporting members carrying and laying down the flag of Netherland on the hood of this winning car, to the hugs and handshakes fellow team members giving to one another. Then came the Champaign and Ritual Dip in the Victoria Fountain. One gesture was out of the ordinary: that the Nuna 6 and Tokai Challenger 2 members started to exchange their shirts in the Victoria Fountain, symbolizing either that “we’re in this together” or “we’re all winners”. So in some of the video and photos one would find Nuon Solar Team members wearing Tokai’s blue and Tokai Challenger 2 Team members wearing Nuna’s orange.
Resistance is Futile...might as well have fun....
One of Nuon Team members may have resisted
Nuon & Tokai members in the Victoria Fountain, Adelaide, Australia
Nuon & Tokai members in each others' shirts in Victoria Fountain, Adelaide, Australia
Nuna 6 of Nuon Solar Team of World Solar Challenge 2011
Nuon (2nd Winning team of WSC 2011) arriving at Victoria Square of Adelaide, Australia
One thing to be certain, they were all having a great deal of fun, as evidenced in these photos. I also have uploaded an interview with one of the Nuna 6 team members/drivers above.
For a better understanding of the landscape of this beautiful country, Australia, we’re visiting, some help is obtained from Wikipedia, below:
King William Street passes through the square making a diamond shape with the southbound carriageway passing through the east side, and the northbound carriageway passing through the west side of the square. The square is bisected by a piece of road (technically part of the square) that connects Wakefield Street(entering from the east) with Grote Street (to the west). A tram stop (formerly the terminus) for the Glenelg Tram is in the southern part of the square; it was shifted from the center to the western edge of the square on 6 August 2007, as part of the extension that was made to the tram line around that time.
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
I am interrupting (will post Day 3 & Day 4 later) to report about the winning team, Tokai Challenger 2 of Tokai University of Japan, which had just arrived at Victoria Square of Adelaide, Australia, within the last hour. The official finish line is located at Angle Vale, Australia, approximately 40 km outside of Adelaide (to avoid too much traffic lights), another brilliant decision on the part of the organizing team of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011. So, as we waited at the Victoria Square, the ceremonial finish line, we chatted with and shared our excitement with some of the participants who have been loyal supporters of this solar car race for more than eighteen years. Despite the cloudy day with drizzle, our enthusiasm was not wavered the least bit. This is the special part of being solar participants, we/they are all full of extra dash of magical energy…perhaps a gift from the Sun…chuckle….
Here, we have a five-minute clip of interview with one of the winning drivers of Tokai Challenger 2 of Tokai University of Japan.
Even with the bush fire that they had to deal with, these winning drivers ended up averaging more than 91km/hr. They are so full of adrenaline that by the time they arrived at the Victoria Square, they did not hesitate to hop and hop
Winning Team, Tokai Challenger 2, of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 are so full of adrenaline that they are ready to hop
Driver/Pilot of the Winning Tokai Challenger 2
a closer look at the winning Tokai Challenger 2
Winning Driver/pilot is popping out as the crowd cheered
Upon arrival at Victoria Square, before the winning driver/pilot of Tokai Challenger 2 popped out
at the request of various reporters and of course the finale of hopping into the Victoria Fountain at Victoria Square. At the end of such a long journey through the desert of the Outback, one can fully appreciate/understand how this “Ritual Dip” got started. But on a cloudy day with a touch of drizzle such as today, we thank our winning team in continuing this tradition in showing their exhilaration, undeterred by the rain.
Tokai Challenger 2 Team Members Carried the "Ritual Dip" Further in Victoria Fountain
The Historical "Ritual Dip" into the Victoria Fountain at the End of each team's journey
We are very pleased that Tokai Challenger 2 of Tokai University (from Japan) is the winning team and are not too surprised by the outcome, for they have replaced the unique single-crystalline silicon solar cells with space grade solar cells. They have kept their winning design concept from 2009 but improved the efficiency. I read that the Tokai Challenger had a drag coefficient of 0.11 whereas University of Michigan had a drag coefficient of 0.10 Keep in mind that drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity used to quantify drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment (be it air or water), so a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or hydrodynamic drag/resistance, which would be better for a car in a car race ( or anything that moves). With a 10% difference in drag coefficient, University of Michigan should be in a more advantageous position, if solely based on drag coefficient (lower drag coefficient value). So my question here is: does Tokai Challenger 2 now has a different drag coefficient from 0.11 or are there other factors that had been more important than the 10% difference in the drag coefficient? If any of you out there who knows more about solar car race, please let me know.
written & posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com, filmed by Michael Nunamaker
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
In the early afternoon unofficial event leader in the Veolia World Solar Challenge: Team Tokai from Japan was just kilometres ahead of Nuon Solar of the Netherlands who were just minutes in front of team Michigan – with the order changing between these three throughout the day. The three leaders are in Wauchope, 116 kilometres south of Tennant Creek, a temporary control stop which has been established due to closure of Barrow Creek ( closed early afternoon due to bushfires).
Northern Territory Police have advised the Stuart Highway to be closed to traffic both ways between Ti Tree and Wauchope. Event officials are monitoring the situation and keeping in close contact with participants. All timing and positions of solar vehicles are being recorded.
Oct. 17, Day 2,
of the Veolia World Challenge concluded with the top three teams camped together at a police roadblock near the Devils Marbles in Outback NT (Northern Territory). Wauchope roadhouse played host to Tokai, Nuna and Michigan as bushfire, raged across the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek. Although some teams were held at Tennant Creek a little over 100 Km behind the leaders, the majority of participants are travelling towards Tennant Creek without disruption.
Control Checkpoints:
Location Time Date Open Date Closed_________
Katherine From 11am Sunday 16th Sunday 16th
Dunmarra From 2pm Sunday 16th Monday 17th at 3pm
Tennant Creek From 8:30am Monday 17th Tuesday 18th at 2pm
Barrow Creek From 11:30am Monday 17th Wednesday 19th at 10am
Alice Springs From 2:30pm Monday 17th Wednesday 19th at 3pm
Kulgera From 8:30am Tuesday 18th Thursday 20th at 9:30am
Coober Pedy From 1pm Tuesday 18th Thursday 20th at 3pm
Glendambo From 4pm Tuesday 18th Friday 21st at 2pm
Port Augusta From 10am Wednesday 19th Saturday 22 at 12 noon____
writtten and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
