SolarWorld GT

Solarworld
Solarworld GT (since 2011)
GT
Presentation year:	2011
Vehicle fair:
Class :	Small car
Body shape :	Coupe
Engine:	Electric motor : 10 kW
Length:	4100 mm
Width:	1600 mm
Height:	1335 mm
Wheelbase:	2510 mm
Empty weight:	300 kg
Production model:	none

The SolarWorld GT ( GT stands for Gran Turismo ) is a purely solar powered road vehicle from Bochum University . Between October 2011 and December 2012 the car was on a solar self-sufficient circumnavigation of the world. Before that he took part in the World Solar Challenge .

The Solarworld GT is the fourth vehicle from the Bochum University of Applied Sciences and the first of these four solar vehicles which corresponds to the EC vehicle class L7e and has thus been approved for road use. The car offers space for two people and reaches a top speed of over 100 km / h. The car is driven by two wheel hub motors in the front wheels, the output of which is reduced to 5 kW each. The empty vehicle weight is around 300 kg, of which the batteries take up around 50 kg. With one battery charge, the range without solar radiation is 400 km. The solar cells used are multi-layer solar cells with an efficiency of 29.2%. The output of the 3 m² solar cells on the roof is 823 W. During the circumnavigation of the world there were an additional 3 m² solar cells in the trunk, which could be set up for charging if required.

Accumulators

For the World Solar Challenge 2011, 21 kg battery weight was available for the challenger class according to regulations. This was built up from 437 LG type cells and achieved a battery capacity of 4.9 kWh, this battery had a nominal voltage of 86.25 V.

In order to increase the battery capacity during the circumnavigation of the world, a battery pack from one of the previous vehicles was also installed. This battery pack weighs 25 kg, has 532 cells of the type Sanyo 18650F, 4.9 kWh capacity and a nominal voltage of 103.6 V.

After the ESC 2014, the WSC battery was exchanged for another pack from the previous vehicles, so a configuration of 28s 38p with 9.8 kWh is available.

Solar cells

The solar cells are gallium arsenide tandem solar cells from Azur Space Solar Power . There are 935 cells on the roof, each capable of delivering a voltage of 2.28 V and a current of 1.1 A. The maximum efficiency of a cell is 29.2%. In order to achieve this level of efficiency, several Maximum Power Point Trackers from the manufacturer Brusa are used in the car . These ensure the optimal working point of the solar cells and adapt the solar cell voltage to the battery voltage.

Races

World Solar Challenge

The vehicle was specially built for the World Solar Challenge 2011. Due to its size and weight, the vehicle took 26th place, but won the Design Award.

European Solar Challenge

From October 10th to 12th, 2014 SolarWorld GT took part in the European Solar Challenge (ESC) together with the successor model PowerCore SunCruiser . This took place in the Belgian Zolder on the former Formula 1 racetrack. There the SolarWorld GT reached 2nd place and thus became Vice European Champion 2014.

Diary entries, picture galleries and videos from ESC 2014 can be found on the SolarCar website of Bochum University.

In addition to the two other Bochum participants, PowerCore SunCruiser and ThyssenKrupp SunRiser , the SolarWorld GT also took part in the European Solar Challenge 2016 from September 23 to 25 , which again took place on the Belgian Circuit Zolder . The special feature of this participation was that the solar car was always manned by two people and despite the difficult conditions mastered the KO chicane discipline with the best time. In the overall standings, fourth place was achieved, just behind the ThyssenKrupp SunRiser in third place.

Circumnavigation

The circumnavigation of the world began on October 26, 2011 after the World Solar Challenge. A distance of over 28,500 km was planned. The first stage led in 6 days over a distance of 1333 km from Adelaide to Sydney. From November 24, 2011 to December 8, 2011, 1789 km were covered in New Zealand. After a month's break in shipping, the route continued from San Francisco (January 31, 2012) via Dallas to Charleston , South Carolina (March 22, 2012). In the US, it covered 6,553 km. The longest uninterrupted stage started on May 1, 2012 and led from the Università della Calabria, Cocenza in Italy via Monaco, France, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine to Russia. There the car was loaded onto a ship again on September 23, 2012 in Vladivostok after a journey of 15023 km to get back to Australia. There, the route of the World Solar Car Challenge, from Darwin to Adelaide, was driven again from December 3 to 13, 2012, in order to then finish the circumnavigation of the world after 29,753 km in Harndorf. An average of 130 kilometers were driven per day.

The team

During the race, the team consisted of around 30 students, who were also responsible for building the vehicle. After the race, the number of people per stage was reduced to 8 to 11 people. During the circumnavigation of the world, the students from the fields of mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electrical engineering, geoinformatics and industrial engineering at Bochum University took turns every month.

In the meantime, the team continues to exist as an all-star team in cooperation with the successor model PowerCore SunCruiser . The team takes care of upcoming repairs, participation in other races and the technical development of the car.