"Lots of sun, little wind and much spirit in Australia" were Juan Luis Mejía Arango, President of EAFIT's words to greet the new version of the EPM-EAFIT Solar Vehicle that was introduced to the EAFIT community on June 3rd during the showcase of this vehicle that will compete in the World Solar Challenge 2015 to be held in that country in Oceania.
This is the second edition of the vehicle which was created based on the challenges of the first car that competed during the same race in 2013, also held in Australia. The team took advantage of the challenges they faced on that occasion to advance and to be prepared for the extreme conditions of the event, which goes across that country from north to south.
As stated by Wilson Chinchilla Herrera, Executive Vice President of Engineering Projects at EPM, and who spoke on behalf of Juan Esteban Calle Restrepo, EPM Group General Manager, this project is very much aligned with the well-known innovative approach of that company. He augured success to the team of students and faculty who made the most of their experience to create the new vehicle.
"We found many opportunities for improvement that are now being implemented. This is a more energy-efficient, aerodynamic, lighter car with better battery technology, a solar panel that has greater storing efficiency and a new design," as explained by Esteban Betancur Valencia, who holds a Master's degree in Engineering from EAFIT and is currently undertaking a PhD applied to the vehicle.
As compared to the first Colombian solar-powered vehicle, significant progress has been made with the second car that not only represents better possibilities to succeed in Australia where the team will compete in the same category, Challenger Class, but also evidences the progress achieved in the research and innovation of systems and services based on sustainable energy.
"This is an event that attracts universities leaders in the research of alternative sources of energy. For this reason, it is very important for us to compete with world-class institutions in such novelty fields as solar energy. It is not only a race but also a place where everybody learns about cutting-edge research in this field" as stated by Juan Luis Mejia.
Juan Esteban Calle Restrepo, EPM General Manager, stated that "the solar-powered vehicle evidences the way the company constantly seeks for social innovation solutions at the service of people. We are very proud to be able to participate in a project that stimulates young people's talent through the sum of knowledge with EAFIT".
New Strategy
According to Gilberto Osorio Gomez, a member of EAFIT Design Engineering Research Group (GRID), the goal of this research project is to improve the design of the vehicle that was used to compete in 2013, which was also a requirement set by EPM, because it is not just about building the vehicle and competing in Australia, but also about improving the technical and logistics aspects of the race.
On June 3rd, the new vehicle took a short drive around the EAFIT Student Plaza. As explained by Gilberto, "it inherited some of the first vehicle parts, but we have a new work team, of which only two people participated in the first project, and we were able to capitalize on that learning to create a different and more efficient car."
Among the differences, he says that there is now a more slender and aerodynamic vehicle, to lower resistance against the wind. With regard to the panel, there are significant laminating differences and its layout is different. For instance, the cells of the first car were cut into thirds and halves, while whole cells are now being installed using a new pattern.
The driver's position also changed. The first vehicle's driver was seated in the center of the vehicle, in the middle of the four wheels, while he will now be seated on the left side, between the front and the rear wheel, following a strategy of energy optimization.
The number of engines also changed from two to one (using the same engine used in the Primavera I). It has carbon fiber and Kevlar bodywork, and attempts to contact Michelin were successful. This company offers the best performance wheels on the market, with a much lower rolling coefficient. The purpose of all of the above mentioned changes is to use as little energy as possible.
As stated by Gilberto, "we went across Australia driving the solar-powered vehicle made two years ago at an average speed of 68 kilometers per hour. Our strategy now is to cross it at an approximate average speed of 100 kilometers per hour. This is because in 2013, the winning team from the Netherlands achieved an average speed of 97 kilometers per hour, which requires having a completely different design."
Juan Carlos Agudelo, a Product Design Engineering student at EAFIT who had the opportunity to participate in the initial project, believes that the main changes have been the methodology and the improvement of the systems.
"Great improvement has been achieved based on the previous experience. The electronic part is something totally different; the car is 100 kilos lighter and weighs about 240 pounds without the driver, which is a big step forward. It is a much optimized, world-class vehicle, which could be ranked among the top 10 competitors." He thinks that there is a good chance of improving the 13th rank obtained two years ago.
On the other hand, Mariana Maldonado Ochoa, another Product Design Engineering student at EAFIT and leader of the bodywork subsystem, participates for the first time in a project of this magnitude.
According to the student, "each semester, we work on a project, but the difference is that the solar-powered car is a much bigger project that allows you to learn about innovation working with materials that we might never have access to due to their cost."
All this team work will be tested from 18 to 25 October in Australia. However, they will arrive about two weeks before the competition to be prepared, receive the vehicle and get it in peak performance through testing in one of the race tracks that can be used during the event. After the competition ends, they are expected to stay for another week in order to pack the vehicle, ship it back to Colombia, and why not, to bring the top prize.
Research and development
Colombia already has two solar-powered vehicles and, referring to the aircraft based on this type of energy that is now travelling around the world, Juan Luis Mejia Arango mentions that what before seemed utopias little by little becomes a reality.
This is why the use of alternative energies for different solutions is not so distant. In fact, Jorge Ignacio Velez Perez, professional of the Development and Innovation Management at EPM, ensures that, the purpose behind this new solar-powered car is to capitalize the knowledge acquired in relation to the experience of the first project, in connection with the solar panels, battery efficiency, the use of materials and aerodynamics.
As stated by Velez Perez, "we are working very hard on every aspect related to renewable energies. There are now two large eolic energy projects in progress at the company and, in terms of the solar energy, we are in the process of evaluating and planning the way to address the best technologies to provide a competitive offer of renewable energy solutions to the market."
He highlights the importance of strengthening alliances between the university and the companies for them to make their best contribution and to achieve a study and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Colombia, which allows the generation of new developments.
For further information
Alejandro Gomez Valencia
Journalist at EAFIT Information and Press Area
Phone: 2619500 Ext. 9931