ANU team eyes World Solar Challenge 2023 success

It's a solar panel on wheels, with a battery to store excess energy and a motor to drive it forward.

They will competing against 40 teams from 23 countries in the World Solar Challenge 2023, beginning Sunday. One team will make it to the finish line in Adelaide and ANU wants to make sure it's them.

All hands are on deck in Uluru, with the aerodynamic team preparing the three-wheeled race car for the heavy winds of Coober Pedy. The lighter and more aerodynamic it is, the further and faster it will go.

The World Solar Challenge has its origins in Australia. In 1982 Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins embarked on a quest that would see them drive a home-built solar car Quiet Achiever across Australia from west to east.

Mr Tholstrup also circumnavigated Australia in a 4.9-metre speedboat and crossed the Bass Strait in a Mini-Moke strapped to a rubber dinghy.

One of the enduring legacies of his many adventures is the World Solar Challenge.

Just like Hans did in 1982, the ANU students will race the car down the Stuart Highway to Port Augusta and then via Highway 1 to the finish line in Adelaide.

Robust and race-finishing, the homegrown solar racecar reached an impressive 120kmh on the testing tracks of Darwin.

The greatest minds are working on the project and one of them is Aisha Wood-Amin, who is in charge of ensuring the solar panels make it to the finish line in Adelaide.

Unlike the other cars competing in the competition, the solar panels on Solar Car 3 were manufactured locally by students at the ANU.

"Our team designed and manufactured our solar panels, which is a rare thing that you find in this competition. Most teams just buy from some company," Ms Wood-Amin said.

The ANU car is powered by 22 solar panels. They're unlike regular panels you would see on a house - they're curved specially to fit the chassis of the car.

"We use high-efficiency solar cells. And the way we make them is also a bit different. Because our car curves we want to make the panels as flexible as possible, whereas, on your roof you find that it's made out of glass to protect it from the harsh environmental conditions," Ms Wood-Amin said.

The lightweight carbon fibre chassis features a livery that collates the various elements of Canberra's landscape.

Every few hours the drivers will rotate; they're planning to make it to Adelaide in five to six days across the 3022km journey.

Sitting in a tiny cockpit without air conditioning, the drivers have been preparing for the sweltering conditions in Canberra through intense cardiovascular, heat and strength training.

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Team manager Isaac Martin said while competition would be fierce, ANU was in a really good place.

"The car has been testing well and a few people have described our car as robust and race-finishing," Mr Martin said.

"We're aiming to finish the race with a good time, and I think we have the car do do it."

For team member Nurhan Raihan the challenge is more than a race; it holds a personal significance for him as a science student.

"I've always had the idea of being part of a sustainable racing team. This project means actively contributing to our team's mission, which is to inspire and educate the world about the importance of sustainable technology," he said.

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