At the end of 2021, despite the COVID-19 crisis, the first solar car in the Baltic States was built by young Estonians and tested in a solar car competition in Morocco. Solaride received a special award from the Dutch solar car manufacturer Lightyear for demonstrating the most competitive spirit.
Fire. Health issues. Harsh conditions. These are the words that sum up the first test race in distant Morocco. A test run through the Atlas Mountains—with a solar-powered car designed for Australia’s flat roads—challenged the team's technical skills and mental resilience.
Solar Challenge Morocco 2021
The solar car race in Morocco was organized in just a few months through a partnership between European teams and Classic Events, as a replacement for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2021, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Moroccan test event provided us with valuable experience that will help us prepare for the World Solar Car Championship in Australia.
5 days
5 stages
2500 km
2 days sleeping in desert
desert heat and sandstorms
potholes and sometimes non-existent roads
We develop a solar car to educate people
Specifications:
Max speed: 98 km/h
Avarage speed: 80 km/h
Weight: 650 kg
Dimensions: 5 x 1,8 x 1,2 m
Seats: 4
Load capacity: 4x80 kg
Power: 3,6 kW
Energy consumption: 4 kW
Power from solar panels: 1,2 kWh
Air resistance coefficient: 0,2 Cd
Range: 750+ km
A solar-powered solar car uses 5x less energy on the road than a conventional car.
The solar car is designed to travel 3,000 kilometers from the north coast of Australia to the south coast of Australia on two charges.
Approximately 15 different concepts of the solar car were in development before the final version.
It took about 6 months and about 10 000 hours of work to build the car. The car was physically built by ~25 young engineers and a number of other team members from marketers to logisticians.
Electronics
battery packs of 6 recycled Tesla battery modules
solar panel with an area of 4.82 m2 with 24% efficiency Maxeon elements
on the rear axle, two Marand 1.8 W electric motors
on-board electronics driven by self-developed printed circuit boards
self-developed ECU
Mechanics
carbon fiber body
carbon steel tubular frame
suspension: Double control arms/trailing arm
self-designed aluminum wheels
Bridgestone Ecopia 95/80R16 tires
carbon fiber seats weighing ~ 1 kg each
Software
a special software optimal speed calculator has been developed for the car. It takes into account surrounding conditions and increases the vehicle’s driving range by approximately 7%.