Students from Łódź presented their solar-powered vehicle
Photo: PAP 2015 / Grzegorz Michałowski
On July 3, students from Lodz University of Technology presented a solar-powered car. In October they want to compete with their vehicle in the Australian World Solar Challenge - prestigious competition of vehicles powered by solar energy.
The presented vehicle is an the original design created - outside the curriculum - by a group of twenty students from various faculties of Lodz University of Technology in collaboration with marketing students from the University of Lodz, under the joint brand Lodz Solar Team.
It is powered by two 4 kW motors, which allow to achieve speeds of up to 100 km/h. The power source is solar energy, obtained with 6 sq. m of flexible photovoltaic cells. Cells are installed on the roof of the car to maximize energy generation.
"The parameters of the vehicle resemble a traditional car; its length is 4 meters. The body is lightweight, weighs approx. 70 kg, the entire vehicle weighs approx. 400 kg. The car easily reaches 100 km/h. Solar power from panels is transferred directly to the engines or - if there is excess energy - stored in rechargeable batteries. When the sun sets of is covered with clouds, we can use battery power" - said the head of the project Beata Mordzak.
The students thanked several sponsors who supported by their eighteen-month work on the project. The cost of building the car was over 500 thousand zlotys. Mordzak noted that the budget has not been closed yet. "If we can find more sponsors, we will equip the car better. We still have the whole summer of work ahead of use to fine-tune the car" - she added.
"The project required the widest possible range of expertise. We have electronics experts, programmers, engineers, designers, and an industrial design specialist, as well as the PR department, which publicizes the project. In the US, 40-60 people work on this type of projects, several times more than in our team. We complete the engineering part with a dozen people and show what Poles can do" - said the engineering coordinator of the project, Paweł Wilk.
Students from Łódź will be the first Polish team and the only team from Eastern and Central Europe, whose vehicle will take part in the World Solar Challenge in October in Australia. Their task will be to drive 3000 km from Darwin to Adelaide. They will be allowed to recharge engines only twice - at the start and after driving 1500 km. The more solar energy they will acquire, the better will be their final result.
"The organisers monitor our activities during the rally, they do not organize accommodation and meals. We will have to take care of all that ourselves. We are training for the race. We will have to survive in difficult conditions. The temperature in the car will be about 50 degrees Celsius. There is no AC, because we need to save energy" - said Mordzak.
During the presentation of the car, Vice-Rector for education at Lodz University of Technology Prof. Sławomir Wiak emphasised that he was impressed by the scale of the students’ project and their efficiency in attracting sponsors. "It\'s a huge event in the life of the university, such a great example of student organization. It is also a testimony to how we educate our students and that we give them the freedom to pursue their dreams" - he emphasised.
Lodz Solar Team will now focus on testing their vehicle.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
agm/ pz/ mrt/
tr. RL
Przed dodaniem komentarza prosimy o zapoznanie z Regulaminem forum serwisu Nauka w Polsce.
