The solar car of the Solar Team Eindhoven has been released by the Australian Customs. The TU/e students are now finally able to start the World Solar Challenge. The batteries of the car are still in quarantine though.
The Solar Team Eindhoven hopes that the batteries will be released this week by the Australian Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture. Only then are the students from Eindhoven able to really start testing their passenger car powered by solar energy.
The TU/e team saw their preparation team being minimized by logistical problems. Transporting the car and the batteries from the Netherlands to Asia went well, but transport from Asia to Australia has been delayed for weeks, said Beatrix Bos of the Solar Team from Australia.
The joy and enthusiasm was great when they could finally start working on the car yesterday. “The students immediately jumped on top of the car when it was released.” To ensure that the Eindhoven team was able to get started, competing teams helped unpack so that the Stella Vie could be checked earlier.
Although Solar Team Eindhoven can now prepare the car for the World Solar Challenge, it is important that the batteries are released for Friday. “Otherwise it will be Monday and then it will be a very tight schedule to become well prepared for the start,” said Beatrix Bos.
She emphasizes that the team appears at the start either way, but for example, the competing German team has been testing for weeks already with their car in Darwin. At the latest, Solar Team Eindhoven wants to start testing next week Tuesday. Especially the reliability and the latest new parts must be tested.
It is the first time the Eindhoven team has so many logistical problems to get their car in Australia. If everything went according to plan, the car and the batteries should have already been released on 25 August.
Source: Studio040
