Concluded the 2013 World Solar Challenge

The closing ceremony of the World Solar Challenge 2013 along with the announcement of the winners in the three classes Challenger, Cruiser and Adventurebegan at 6.30 p.m of October 13th in Australia.

With over 3000 kilometers travelled, in the past days the teams crossed the finish line in Adelaide marking the end of this unique event. Two of the teams that competed in the 2013 edition had a sponsor in common, Solbian Energie Alternative, a Turin-based company that supplied the Italian team Onda Solare and the Australian one, Sunswift, with its flexible solar panels. Onda Solare has faced the long journey with the prototype Emilia 3, ranking 10th in the Challenger class. Sunswift obtained, with its vehicle Eve, an excellent 3rd place in the Michelin Cruiser Class. After months of studying, designing, presenting prototypes and road testing, the two teams departed on October 6 from Darwin, ready to cross Australia from north to south in order to get to Adelaide in the following days. For Onda Solare the pre race phase did not present major drawbacks, allowing the team to carry out tests and adjustments with peace of mind; otherwise Sunswift preparation was more complex due to some technical problems that forced the group members to long nights of work, but that eventually led Eve to show up on the starting grid in excellent conditions. The Sunswift team followed a race strategy where caution was at first place, the first two days of the trip were used to gradually verify both the capability and resistance of the car. The third day showed a first glimpse of Eve’s true potential, hitting a top speed of 117 km/h that became 127 km/h on the next day. Sunswift took the lead overtaking Eindhoven, despite the adverse weather conditions that have characterized the fifth day of competition, with strong winds, rain and overcast sky. The Australian team has firmly maintained the first position in the time ranking, crossing the finish line in Adelaide on the sixth day, ahead of Eindhoven and Bochum. The four criteria used to determine the final ranking of the Cruiser Class were - in addition to the times where Sunswift had the upper hand over the other teams - energy efficiency, practicality and passenger miles. The sum of these elements resulted in a great 3rd place for Sunswift, which produced an highly competitive and efficient prototype, with a design that, judging from several compliments received by other teams, has made​ an impression on many. The Australian team described themselves as very satisfied with Solbianflex modules, which have remained clean and performing consistently well throughout the race. Onda Solare in the Challenger class, has demonstrated its remarkable ability, arriving in Adelaide at 9.01 am Italian time on the sixth day of competition. Emilia 3 has maintained an average speed of 65 km/h during a race, which, for the Italian team did not present big problems, allowing them to perform the entire competition without being trailered. From the first day Emilia 3, which started in 12th position, behaved as expected, covering 488 km and stopping at 5pm in accordance with regulation. Even in the following days the Italian vehicle has reached the goals set by the team, effectively overcoming the obligatory stop controls despite a day of overcast skies and some problems with a tyre. The final result led Emilia 3 to a 10th place finish with great satisfaction for the technical team of Onda Solare.