From Darwin to Adelaide, a good 3,000 kilometers, across the middle of nowhere in the blisteringly hot Australian outback. The TopDutch Solar Racing Team is participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge for the third time in August. 'It's fantastic to do and a unique project for the Northern Netherlands, and that's what we try to propagate as much as possible as a team.'
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge takes place once every two years. Teams from all over the world race with cars they have designed and built themselves. 'Every two years we have a new team of 26 students from the northern Netherlands,' says Team Manager Daan Boonstra. 'All volunteers with different backgrounds and educations, from mbo to wo. In a relatively short time we design, build, test and race a new car. Actually, together we just run a company.'
Big challenge
The rules are changed for each edition, so racing with the same car is out of the question. 'This does force you to innovate,' says Boonstra. 'For this year, for example, we have to use a solar cell area of 6 square meters, instead of the 4 square meters in 2023. So that means the shape of the car has to be completely different.'
According to Boonstra, the other big challenge is that this year's race is in August, instead of October. 'Then it's late winter in Australia, so that means less sunlight, so you also have to look very carefully at the efficiency of the car. We average about 80 kilometers per hour, with top speeds of 130. And you're just driving on public roads, so your car also has to meet all the normal requirements to be allowed to race there at all.'
Contribute to innovation
Unfortunately, the fact that it is still the middle of winter Down Under does not matter much to the drivers. 'They are still extremely hot in the car,' jokes Boonstra. 'So they get special training in greenhouses to deal with the heat. And they have to follow a special diet, because according to the rules they are allowed to weigh exactly 80 kilos. Below 80 we have to make the car heavier and above that, of course, the car becomes unnecessarily heavy.'
'And, of course, all the parts of the car have to be fully customized as well,' Boonstra continues. 'That sometimes makes it exciting because you are dependent on suppliers for timely delivery, but at the same time it is also incredibly cool because you are asking a manufacturer to make something completely new. So we test their innovations and with that we often drive the newest and best technology in the world.'
Northern Netherlands on the map
'Apart from being an unforgettable experience for us, it is also a unique project for the Northern Netherlands, and as a team we try to propagate that as much as possible. That is why we carry the name TopDutch and work together with companies, schools and municipalities in Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland,' says Boonstra. 'We also attend many open days and events to inspire young people to also go into engineering. And we want to show what we can do here in the North.'
And how are the prospects? 'We still have a few exciting months to go, because the production phase has just begun. If all the parts are delivered on time, we can present our car in May or June, and in July we are already heading for Darwin. There we will continue testing and have to pass the official inspection. So there is still plenty to do, but we are going for profit of course.
The TopDutch Solar Team shows the best of the TopDutch region: talented young professionals from the North, of different educational levels, working together on innovative and sustainable products. A great example of how talent, diversity and cooperation are moving society forward.
Celia WIlliams | business analyst & online marketer TopDutch
Wouter Zijlstra, owner Greatwaves, partner TopDutch Solar Race:
'Have you ever thought about building your own car? That seems almost impossible. But imagine that this car also has to travel 3,022 kilometers there and back through the Australian desert, exclusively on solar energy, as light as possible and completely self-built?
As far as we are concerned, the TopDutch Solar Racing team is making the impossible possible. What a great project to contribute to! At Greatwaves we are super proud to be able to provide the communication and networking techniques for this sustainable and ambitious initiative, in which mbo, hbo and universities from three northern provinces come together to bring innovation to life.