Sunswift Racing is the solar car racing team of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The team currently holds a number of world records and is best known for its participation in the World Solar Challenge (WSC). Since its founding in 1996 by Byron Kennedy, the Sunswift team has built a total of 7 cars, the most recent of which is Sunswift 7.
Sunswift Team The team primarily consists of undergraduate students from various disciplines including business, engineering and industrial design. Despite its team members being largely engaged in full-time study, Sunswift has remained competitive in all participated solar car challenges, earning prestige and recognition on the world stage as well as training young engineers to be on the cutting edge of their profession. A number of former Sunswift team members have moved on to establishing their own companies and others have attained highly sought-after positions in the workforce; for example, working as part of well-established racing teams such as those in Formula 1. Some of these team members remain in contact with Sunswift even after graduation, and act as mentors or advisors to the newer recruits, thus helping to continue the standard of excellence that has been embodied in the team since its founding in 1996.
Outreach program The Sunswift team also plays an active role in the local community by educating the general public about the advantages of solar versus conventionally powered vehicles. To this end, they regularly showcase the series of Sunswift cars at exhibitions and hold information days open to the public. In addition, Sunswift also visits schools in order to teach and inspire young children about implementing solar power technology whilst demonstrating how it can be a fun and effective method of powering a car.
How it works All solar cars have at least five main parts to their power system: the solar array, maximum power point tracker (MPPT), battery, motor controller and electric motor. These cars rely on converting the electromagnetic energy of the sun into electrical energy, through the use of photovoltaic cells, and then converting that electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the car, through the use of some form of electric motor. Maximum power point trackers act as an interface between the solar array and the battery, while motor controllers act as an interface between the battery and the electric motors As sunlight shines on the solar array, it transfers energy to the electrons within the photovoltaic cells, thus allowing them to conduct electricity and causing a current to flow. This current then travels to the MPPTs which alter the load across the solar array in order to ensure that it is generating electricity as efficiently as possible. The MPPTs have to constantly monitor the output of the photovoltaic cells because that output depends on the light intensity which can change rapidly if some cells become shaded. The electricity then flows into the battery where it can be stored for later use such as to drive the car while there is no sunlight. Although the battery is primarily charged by the solar panels, it can also be externally charged by the conventionally generated electricity at your home or workplace. The battery then discharges the current into the motor controllers which converts it into a form that can be used to power the electric motor. Motor controllers are also used to manage things like speed regulation, cruise control and regenerative braking. Regenerative braking is using the existing motors as generators by converting the rotational energy of the wheels back into electrical energy, slowing the car down and recharging the battery at the same time, instead of just using conventional mechanical brakes. Lastly, the energy that was once in the sunlight shining on the car, reaches the electric motors which operate on the principles of electromagnetism to turn that electrical energy into rotational energy that spins the wheels and drives the car forward.
Sunswift 7 (2020–present) Sunswift 7 (SR7) is the third vehicle manufactured by Sunswift designed to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class. The design began in 2020, with intentions of running in the cancelled 2021 World Solar Challenge. In December 2022, Sunswift achieved a Guinness World Record for the Fastest EV over 1,000 km (621 mi) on a single charge. It achieved this in 11 hours and 52.08 minutes, at an average speed of almost 85 km/h (53 mph). In October 2023, Sunswift won the 2023 World Solar Challenge, Cruiser Class. An on-road score of 109.4, practicality score of 83.3%, and a final score of 91.1 was achieved. They placed first for both the on-road score and practicality score.
Sunswift VI (VIolet) (2017–2019) VIolet is the sixth vehicle designed and manufactured by Sunswift. It was the second vehicle manufactured by Sunswift that is built to compete in the Cruiser Class. Design of VIolet began in 2016 and manufacture was completed in late 2017. In comparison to previous generations of Sunswift vehicles, VIolet is Sunswift's first four-seat, four-door vehicle with a 5-square-metre solar array consisting of 318 monocrystalline silicon cells with an approximate efficiency of 22%. VIolet was designed with a greater focus on practicality, with the aim of resembling a more comfortable family vehicle in comparison to previous generations of Sunswift vehicles. New features have been implemented in VIolet such as live monitoring and fault detection, entertainment systems, air conditioning, navigation, wifi, reverse camera, adjustable seating, parking sensors, front and back boot-space, and ergonomic dashboard. As a result of this, the vehicle competed in the 2017 World Solar Challenge and placed third in practicality. In December 2018, the team had driven from Perth to set a Guinness World Record for the lowest energy consumption while driving across Australia in an electric car. VIolet was then further tested and refined for reliability and efficiency, leading to an all-time highest Sunswift ranking of 2nd Place Overall in the 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and finishing first across the line in Adelaide.
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