Wakayama University Solar Car Team
Daily event results
| Arrival time | Control stop | Kms from Darwin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Oct 22 14:26:48 | Katherine | 317 |
| Day 2 | Oct 23 13:39:31 | Dunmarra | 632.123 |
| Day 3 | Oct 24 16:28:08 | Tennant Creek | 986.836 |
How many times has your team participated in the event?
This is our first time participating.
What is the design philosophy behind your solar car?
Our design philosophy was to create a solar car that can achieve speed and provide sufficient safety. In order to achieve them, we designed a solar car with two points. First, we tried to reduce aerodynamic drag as much as possible. Eventually we could design a solar car to run at high speeds with low power consumption. The second is to improve the strength of the car body. By doing so, our solar car will never break by strong forces and ensure the safety of the driver.
What is unique about your solar car?
Our solar car has two unique points. The first is high rigid body for using CFRP as the body material. It ensures driver’s safety since it is highly durable and will not be broken even with strong impact. The second is the design of cowl. It is a streamlined shape that allows air flow to be seen. This reduces aerodynamic drag while driving as much as possible and enables stable driving even at high speeds. Our team achieved the design of a solar car that is strong enough, yet aerodynamic and fast enough to run with minimal air resistance.
Why does your team value participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge?
Our team has two values for participating in the competition. The first is to run with our solar car in a big competition, the World Championship. We have competed in major competitions in Japan almost every year since 2006, even winning the championship in 2016. It ended with the 2021 tournament. We consider its end as a chance to get into higher level than the Japan nationals. The second is to meet sponsors expectations. Our solar car is designed with money we get from sponsors, so we want to finish the competition and thank our sponsors for their support.
What is the one thing your team is looking forward to when you visit Australia?
We are looking forward to vast deserts and the unique Australian plants. It is obvious that ecosystem of Australia is completely different from that of Japan. So, we are excited to see.
