The TU/e’s solar team were sorely disappointed when they recently arrived in Australia for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
Stella Era, as their solar car is known, had been damaged on the way over from the Netherlands. “We were so relieved to be reunited with Stella Era. (But) we found out that her journey had been rough,” reads one of the team’s Facebook posts.
“During transport, the solar panel has been damaged. The transport box in which the car was transported had suffered such a big blow that one of the beams broke through the sturdy protective cover and caused damage to one of the solar panels.”
Whole new roof needed
The team eventually decided the entire roof needs to be replaced. But it is costly. They have set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover costs. At time of publication, more than 70% of the funds needed had already been donated.
On Wednesday, they posted, “It’s going to be a tight schedule to get the new, custom made, solar panel to Darwin from the Netherlands in time. We’ve only got five weeks to go until the start.” The race is a gruelling 3,021km journey from Darwin to Adelaide.
Source: Solar Team Eindhoven
