Solar Team uses green transport in Belgium
We had to travel many miles while we were building our solar car. Understandable, if you realise we have more than 100 partners dispersed over Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany.
Because it's important to us to stay true to our ideas about using and promoting green energy, we have tried to do this as ecologically responsible as possible. Our logistic partners supported us in this. Thanks to the NMBS (Belgian Railway) we were able to travel the country by train, free of charge.
Suspension parts finished!
Yes, the day has finally arrived. After more than six months of viewing each part from all angles and making changes on our PC, the moment has finally arrived to actually hold them in our hands. All the suspension parts have arrived at the workshop!
The different technical millers such as Sirris, Diametal, Dierickx & VDAB, have done their very best to manufacture the parts according to our (sometimes very complicated) specifications. And the results have made it all worthwhile!
All that is left to do now is to press the different joints into the pieces, and connect everything using the right nuts and bolts. After that we can fit the finished piece into car.
We liked the rims so much that we have already fixed them onto the car provisionally ...
Third network evening at Umicore in Brussels
With 51 days before the road performance, 91 days before our departure to Australia, 132 days before the ‘scrutineering’, 135 days before the qualification, 136 before the start of the World Solar Challenge and 142 days before the prize ceremony in Adelaide. On the 11 June we held our third network evening at Umicore, our main sponsor, in Brussels.
More than 120 partners had come from all over the country to the capital, to be updated on the project and to attend an absolute avant-première, where they would be able to get a glimpse of the definitive model of the new solar car. We cannot show any of these pictures here yet; however, we can disclose the final concept: Ultimately, the car with 2 front wheels was chosen.
Testing for electronic subsystems
A few weeks ago the designs for the various electronic subsystems of the solar car were finished and fabricated for the very first time.
We were able to use the test laboratory at Jabil in Hasselt to make sure that these connections would continue to function properly under all conditions during the World Solar Challenge. The trials on the PCBs included testing their performance in extreme temperatures, the moisture content and vibration, all of which could have an impact on the reliability of the electronic systems in a solar car.
When the tests were finished the conclusion was unanimously positive. All subsystems kept performing their tasks accurately, so now we can start to produce the final versions with full confidence.
The Winners of the Solar Olympics 5 have been announced!
The finals of the Solar Olympics 5, our competition for secondary schools all over Belgium, took place on Saturday last week. All 30 finalists in three classes of 10 competitors each, were able to demonstrate their gadgets in front of a big crowd at Group T in Leuven. There were lots of interesting ideas among the many gadgets. For instance, there was a 'smogsmiley', capable of showing the air quality, an egg incubator, a rotating clothes dryer and a catamaran. All these gadgets run on solar energy with a battery for storing energy at night. No fewer than five prizes were awarded. A panel of professional judges decided which were the best gadgets in each of the three classes.
Suspension in production
A few weeks ago we were able to collect the Aluminum blocks for the suspension parts from the Aleris departments of Duffel en Koblenz. During the weeks that followed Melotte, Sirris, Diametal, Dierickx and VDAB were able to apply their high-quality milling skills to what was needed for the new Umicar. Once again this year we decided to have the parts crafted from high-quality aircraft aluminium. The light weight in combination with rigidity and strength are the strong points of this type of alloy. After all, we mean to achieve a lower weight than we did with the previous Umicar (195kg), which is why the right material in the right place is always an advantage, and this without losing any of its reliability.
