delaware is proud Innovation Partner of the Agoria Solar Team
In 2019, from the 13th until the 20th of October, 53 solar cars from 24 countries raced against each other through the Australian Outback in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The Agoria Solar Team, consisting of 19 engineering students from the Catholic University of Leuven, competed in this race for the eighth time. During the 2019 edition, they were the first team to cross the finish line of the Bridgestone World Solar challenge after a thrilling race. It’s the first time that the Belgian team wins the coveted gold medal.
For the design of the eighth solar car, called the BluePoint, the students pulled out all the stops and this model is even smaller than its predecessor. It is the most aerodynamic vehicle from Belgium: the shape of the vehicle was tinkered for six months in order to get the air resistance this low. The students even developed the solar panel themselves for the BluePoint.
After some well-deserved vacation, the Agoria Solar Team is now in full preparation for their next race: the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa! It is their first time taking part in this race and as it differs greatly from all of their previous races, it will be another exciting challenge for the World Champions.
As a global company that delivers advanced ICT solutions and services, delaware is well placed to support the enthusiastic students in their search for innovative solutions. More specifically, in the role of Innovation Partner, we will help them to explore artificial intelligence as a way of better analyzing the data captured by the car sensors. They can use those insights to optimize the driving performance and hence further increase the chances of finishing first. Next to that, our experts are also collaborating on optimizing the team’s project management.
Boosting project management skills
Meet the pilots Inge Habets & Nelis Geurts in the video on the right! They didn’t race alone, however, as the complete Agoria Solar Team traveled down under and supported them through every step of the race. The Agoria Solar team is put together by a jury to ensure that the best-performing team is competing in this international competition. To increase their chances of finishing first, delaware supports the students by boosting the team’s project management skills.
Three things you didn’t know about the world’s largest solar car race
Even though the World Solar Challenge might ring a bell with most people, not much is known about the – sometimes surprising – details that make the race such a one-of-a-kind event.
- The route traverses the entire Australian mainland from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south, which is exactly 3.021 km.
- The complete Agoria Solar Team will travel down under, for more than a month. And the solar car isn’t the only car that drives the race – a complete convoy of team vehicles will be in front of and behind the car.
- All solar cars must comply to a very specific set of rules. Curious what these are? Read the full blog!
