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It’s been one year since ACCIONA Energía and Deakin University raced the 3,000km journey from Darwin to Adelaide in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The four-year partnership saw the development of the ASCEND solar car that raced for six days during the challenge. The partnership, in support of ACCIONA’s values of innovation and sustainability, invested in a new generation of engineers and provided a real-world situation for them to apply their engineering. One year on, we are reflecting on the challenge with a short documentary about the race week.
The Race
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is a global solar powered car race, with universities from all across the world making the 3,000km journey from Darwin to Adelaide using cars with solar-powered batteries. This race is a commitment to engineering for sustainable futures and finding innovative sustainable solutions. ACCIONA Energía and Deakin University entered the ‘Cruiser Class’ of the competition, which challenged them to design a solar car more suitable for commercial use.
The Team
The partnership between ACCIONA Energia and Deakin University saw the design of the vehicle ASCEND (ACCIONA’s Solar Car Engineered by Deakin). The team was made up of generations of students at Deakin University – over 1,000 students passed through the program during the life of the partnership, and 20 students were lucky to attend the journey from Darwin to Adelaide. The students came from different engineering backgrounds – including civil, mechatronics and electrical engineers and made up a team with different roles during the race – from drivers to logistics coordinators.
Innovating for a Sustainable Future
Races like the Bridgestone Solar Challenge are important as they provide an environment in which students can test out their ideas and develop new technologies and innovations. ACCIONA Energía is proud to have been part of a partnership that encourages innovative design thinking to develop sustainable solutions. Emphasising on the use of new technologies, this challenge is proof that a green future is not only possible, but it is within our reach.
