Sunshark team wins GM Sunraycer Technical Achievement Award
The University of Queensland's solar racing team's SunShark has won the GM Sunraycer Award for Technical Achievement for the team in the 1999 World Solar Challenge achieving technical innovation that can likely be translated to commercially viable real-world applications.
The award, which is judged by a panel of experts at the conclusion of every World Solar Challenge race, was presented to SunShark project leader Darren Bell, by Holden's manager of Advanced Engineering Laurie Sparke.
Mr Sparke said the award was made to the SunShark for its utilisation of an advanced encapsulation technique for solar arrays and the creative use of carbon fibre.
"To produce this car the SunShark team has excelled with its engineering innovation. Perhaps we will see this kind of technology in vehicles of the future."
Mr Bell said the award was a terrific recognition of the technical sophistication of the SunShark vehicle and was made in competition with the 42 entrants in the race.
"Bernie Walsh developed the durable and reliable in-line wheel motor during his final year of study in mechanical engineering at UQ," Mr Bell said.
"The motor is actually incorporated into the drive wheel and this eliminates transmission losses and ensures that energy produced by the solar array is efficiently transferred to the road.
"Bernie sourced the engine components from the CSIRO, built the motor and designed a carbon fibre casing which reduced the overall engine weight, which is a major factor in the overall performance of the SunShark."
"Philip Moncrieff's encapsulation technique enabled brittle solar cells to be curved to get maximum exposure to the sun."
Mr Bell said David Finn had constructed a flawless motor controller and the electrical team had created one of the most sophisticated telemetry systems available.
In his post-race analysis Mr Bell said the 20 volunteer undergraduate members of the SunShark crew who came from several UQ faculties had worked very hard and effectively as a team during the race.
"In the open class we were racing against teams that had solar arrays valued at nearly one million dollars," he said. "Our commercial-grade solar array was worth $20,000."
"To finish within 32 minutes of the winner was a fantastic effort and a tribute to the skill, ingenuity and persistence of the whole team."
Mr Bell said the solar array on Sunshark was rated at 16% efficiency and produced about 1.2 kilowatts of power under ideal conditions.
"That's about the power needed power to run an ordinary two-slice toaster in the home kitchen. Modern medium-sized sedans by contrast, generate up to 100kilowatts of power."
SunShark covered the 3010 kilometre race in 41 hours 37 minutes at an average speed of
72.5 kilometres an hour.
Mr Bell thanked the sponsors who had supported the SunShark:
o The Alumni Association; UQ;
o UQ Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering;
o Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture;
o Uniquest Pty Ltd;
o Michelin Tyres;
o Holden Limited;
o The Institution of Engineers;
o Metromedia Technologies,;
o Silicon Graphics;
o Capral Aluminium;
o The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland;
o Hillier Engineering Services;
o Queensland Rubber and
o Brisbane City Council.
The GM Sunraycer Award is named after the inaugural winner of the World Solar Challenge in 1987. It is presented in the spirit of the Sunraycer which led to further advancements in the automotive industry inbcluding the GM EV1- the first vehicle developed from the ground up to be powered solely by electricity.
The 1999 GM Sunraycer Award was judged by a panel comprising John Ward NRMA Technical Services; Dan Eberle, organiser of the US Sunrayce; Dr David Rand, CSIRO; Professor John Storey, University of NSW; and Hans Tholstrup, the man who conceived the World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.
For more information contact Darren Bell on 0412/ 495 093 or Ron Drynan on 0412/261529
