On the 25th of October the World Solar Challenge starts, that’s in less than a week. Here is an overview of what the teams are doing:

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Solar Team Twente

The Solar Team Twente is busy testing, the car is being prepared for the race step by step. The first test drives were without the wing and body parts, but those are all mounted now. The solar panel is connected as well so that the car is actually powered by the Australian sun.

21Revolutions’ predecessor, Twente One had many problems with its suspension system, and one of the causes were the cattle grids of which several are encountered during the race. The team built a fake cattle grid out of wood over which they drive their car at ever increasing speeds to see which is a safe speed to do it at. Sensors in the suspension system measure all the forces.

Nuon Solar Team

The Nuon Solar Team is still working all-out at fixing their car, which was severely damaged in a crash two weeks ago. The repairs are going well, they have even done rolling tests again – although without the still damaged solar panel. This is still being repaired and when it’s done many testkilometers will have to be covered in a short time to have the car ready for the race.

As an outsider it’s difficult to estimate what effect the crash and its consequences will have on this team’s chances to win the race, but it certainly not have had a positive effect. With a complex on-ff vehicle like a solar racing car thorough testing is very important I can only hope that they’ll have enough time to do that.

Umicore Solar Team

At the Umicore Solar Team the magic word is also ‘testing’. What I read on their website is positive, things seem to be going well. After some relatively small problems – a broken pedal and a overheating motor – their tone is positive and confident. They’ve sent a scouting team along the entire route – and back – to chart all obstacles.

I’m saying this without any foundation, but I think the Inspire looks very fast. Maybe it’s the slanted backside of the cokpit, but to me the design just breathes speed, more so than the other vehicles.

In the movie clips which can be watched on their website the Belgian team members come across as very calm and professional. Again, it’s an unfounded feeling, but I estimate this team’s chances of winning very high.

University of Michigan Solar Team

The University of Michigan Solar Team (which severely damaged their car in the first hour of the race by crashing it into one of their own fleet vehicles) takes testing very serieously indeed. They are driving a complete ‘mock race’ of nearly 3000km! They started from Adelaide (the end point of the WSC) and drive northward. Because the solar race cars are not allowed on the road in the Northern Territories in the days before the race they cannot drive to Darwind, but they work around this by turning back at the border and returning to Adelaide. This way they gain some very valuable experience and also they get to know the southern part of the route well. Except for bad weather the team writes nothing about about technicale problems so they seem to be doing well.

Two years ago this team appeared to be very strong, if they hadn’t had their crash it would have been very possible that they might have won. We shall see…

MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team

The MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team is also scouting the race route, nut I don’t think they’re doing it with their race car. There’s not much news on their website how they’re doing.

UNITEN

The team from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Malaysia) left with their car for Australia today. They are not going to have as much time for testing as some of the other teams, some of which have been in Australia for two or three weeks. There’s not much up-to-date information on this item but in this little newsitem I read that their goal is to finish in the top 10.

Hélios

The French team Hélios have been in Australia for about a week now. When looking at the pictures I can only assume they are testing, because my rudimentary French does not allow me to read what they’re doing…

Sakarya University

The Turkish Sakarya University has a button called ‘English’ on their website but when I click it no English text appears. This is unfortunate because my Turkish is even worse than my French. The strange thing is that there are no recent images of the team or the car in Australia.

Two years ago there were several teams which started in high hopes building a vehicle, but of which all news suddenly dried up. Later, these teams turned out not to have participated because of technical and/or financial troubles. I just hope this team is doing all right.

University College London

The news section of British Team SolarFox’s website does not work, which could mean anything. Ominous is piece of text on Cambridges’s website (comes after this one) which reads “that we are now the only British team remaining in WSC 2009″. Could it be that Team SolarFox didn’t make it?

Cambridge University Eco Racing

CUER is very busy testing, just like all the other teams, and everything seems to be going well for them. They have the same strategy as Solar Team Twente: first they test the ‘naked’ vehicle on battery power, then they add the body panels and only then do they install and connect the solar panel. Unfortunately I can’t find any images.

Hochschule Bochum

Hochschule Bochum’s team arrived in Australia two weeks ago the picture they paint with the news on their website is the same as at most other teams: testing, testing and more testing. There is some very interesting information on their website of which I was not aware:

Mit dem Wechsel des Veranstalters hat es Regeländerungen gegeben, die viele Teams hart treffen, auch das deutsche. Wer innerhalb der vorgeschriebenen Zeit ankommen will und die Strecke von 3.000 Kilometern vollständig fahren will, muss einen Schnitt von knapp 70 km/h realisieren. Das wird schon für SolarWorld No.1 sehr eng, denn 2007 wurde ein Schnitt von 73 km/h erreicht, allerdings mit neuen Solarzellen und profillosen Reifen, die in diesem Jahr aus Sicherheitsgründen verboten sind. (…..) Die Südaustralische Polizei fordert, dass ab Freitagmittag kein Solarfahrzeug mehr in den Vorstädten und im Stadtverkehr von Adelaide unterwegs ist. Wer bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht angekommen ist, muss sein Fahrzeug auf dem Anhänger in die Stadt transportieren.2007 haben nur die ersten 4 Teams, darunter SW No.1, Geschwindigkeiten erreicht, die in diesem Jahr für einen Zieleinlauf erforderlich ist.

Translation:

The new organisation has issued a new rule which is going to be hard on several teams, especially the German team. To finish within the prescribed time, and to finish the entire 3000km, an average speed of nearly 70km/h needs to be maintained. That’s going to be difficult for Solarworld no.1 (Hochschule Bochums other solar race car, JH) because it finished the race with an average speed of 73km/h, but it did so with new solar cells and profileless tires. Profileless tires are prohibited this year for safetly reasons. (…..) The South-Australian police has decreed that from friday afternoon onward no solar car may be on the road in the suburbs and city of Adelaide. Any vehicle which has not reached Adelaide by then must be trailered to the finish. In 2007, only the four fastest teams (among which Solarworld No.1) reached that average speed which is mandatory this year.

I’ve read nothing about this on the other teams websites, and it’s quite a severe rule. On the other hand: the official finish line is outside of Adelaide, so it’s not like a slow team cannot finish at all. The finish in the city Adelaide is purely ceremonial but it still can’t feel good if you have trailer you solar race car over the finish line under the watchful eyes of the cameras. I’m curious what this new rule will do in practice.

Willetton Senior High School

I can’t find any recent information about progress on the website of the Willetton Senior High Schools team. They have no Twitter- or Youtube-account that I know of so I’m starting to wonder if they will be participating at all.

University of Tehran

I can’t find any recent information about progress on the website of the Persian Gazelle team. They have no Twitter- or Youtube-account that I know of so I’m starting to wonder if they will be participating at all.

Stanford Solar Car Project

The Apogee solar racing car of the Stanford Solar Car Project arrived in Australia about a week ago and if I read it correctly they want to drive the car to the starting point in Darwin. It seems like each team has its own testing strategy. I do not quite understand how they plan to do this because I read on Michigans website that in the Northern Territories solar racing cars are not allowed on the road in the days leading up to the race.

Fortunately no news about problems.

Heliox Solar Racing Team

The Heliox Solar Racing Teams website has only minimal information but it seems like their car is on its way to Australia.

Durham University Solar Car

I can’t find any recent information about progress on the website of the Durham University Solar Car team. They have no Twitter- or Youtube-account that I know of so I’m starting to wonder if they will be participating at all.

Principia Solar Car

The team and their car, the Ra 7, are in Australia and except for the fact that during transport something feel on the solar panel, damaging a few solar cells, everything seems to go fine for them.

Istanbul Technical University Solar Car Team

On the website of this Turkish team the “English” button does work but there’s not much recent information, things seem to end in November 2008. Their blog has recent news (according to a translation website, Ekim 16, 2009 means October 16,2009) but all the text is written in Turkish. Judging by the pictures they are in Australia and preparing for the race.

Belemos Clermont-Ferrand

This team from France has no website, no Twitter and no Youtube. I’m curious if they’ll actually compete.

Hochschule Bochum (Solarworld No.1)

The second team of Hochschule Bochum is participating with their 2007 car, Solarworld No.1, which finished in quite a respectable fourth place. I can’t find any information on this car and its team, all attention goes to Bocruiser.

Flare Race Team

This team from Australia has no website, no Twitter and no Youtube. I’m curious if they’ll actually compete.