2017 is the year of
World Solar Challenge, the 30th edition of the most famous solar car competition is just around the corner (8 - 15 October 2017). Students from 21 countries are getting ready to drive the 3021 km from Darwin to Adelaide with vehicles autonomously designed and assembled .
UNSW team
Sunswift confirms its presence introducing to the public a new prototype, Violet.
Sunswift, founded in 1995, draws from a multitude of backgrounds across the world and a variety of disciplines: industrial design, engineering, business, to name a few.
The Australian team holds the world land-speed record for an electric vehicle, recognised in 2014 by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. Sunswift eVe, their previous vehicle, travelled at an average 100 km/h over a distance of 500 km on a single charge. This performance broke a record that had stood for 26 years.
Violet, a sleek four-seat sedan, is the sixth-generation solar car created by the UNSW Solar Racing Team Sunswift and boasts a state of the art solar array manufactured in Italy.
The 318 SunPower monochrystalline cells have been encapsulated by the Turin based company Solbian, the same company that produced eVe’s solar panels. The photovoltaic cover gives a peak power output of 1.1kW.
The range of the vehicle is 800 km with solar, 400 km on battery only. At speeds of less than 60km/h, Violet can rely purely on solar power, and completely recharge while left in the sun; it uses about 7 kilowatts of horsepower at 110 km/h.
With a top speed of 140 km/h (fastest test on track 110km/h), the vehicle is equipped with two 1.5kW AC induction motors that run at 98% efficiency.
Violet weighs 360kg and it’s composed of a twill carbon fibre monocoque shell, custom designed front and rear aluminium suspension and tyres handmade by Bridgestone.
Among its features are live monitoring and fault detection; entertainment and air conditioning systems including navigation and WiFi; reverse camera and parking sensors.
Built for practicality, speed and endurance, combining cutting-edge technology with modern comfort, Violet is a vehicle made to redefine sustainable transport.
