Solar Team Twente are ready for the World Solar Challenge, a 3010km race in solar cars across the Australian desert. Last week they drove three solar cars around Enschede.
Picture this. Friday afternoon, 21 August. People are lounging
on the pavement cafés on the Oude Markt in Enschede drinking white
beer and rosé under a blazing sun. It is hot - very hot. Solar Team
Twente is about to introduce the public to three solar cars: the
Solutra, built in 2005, the Twente One, built in 2007, and the
brand new 21Revolution, this year's racer.
Circuit
"The conditions are ideal for a test drive," says team leader
Tim Plattel, referring to the high 'almost Australian' temperature.
Only a few minutes to go and Solar Team Twente will get into gear
for a circuit of the public road, right in the middle of the Friday
afternoon traffic. This is the last public event in the Netherlands
before the team leaves for the World Solar Challenge in
Australia.
"The temperature will be far above 30°C during the race in
Australia," Plattel continues. "And, you can be sure that the
temperature in the cockpit will be about ten degrees higher than
outside. The drivers need to train seriously for the heat, so we
are really pleased with today's high temperatures. They make the
perfect training conditions."
Speed
The three solar cars attract a lot of interest on the
marketplace. Like seasoned models, the eighteen students in the
team, clad in red overalls, pose alongside their equally red car.
Photographers jostle and push. One cries out 'With even more
energy!'
The time comes for Roeland Weigand to step into the
21Revolution. Easier said than done, because this vehicle is built
for speed, not for comfort. Five team-mates have to lift the wing
to enable him to climb into the cramped cockpit. Then they
carefully lower it again. The driver and the team leader
communicate via a walkie-talkie.
"Awesomely innovative"
Before the engine revs, Member of Parliament Han ten Broeke
speaks a word of encouragement to the team. He praises the unique
collaboration between the college of higher education and the
university and describes the car as 'awesomely innovative'. He then
gives the starting signal with a black and white checkered flag and
two confetti cannons.
The three cars start their 9.9 kilometre circuit, escorted by a
scout car to reconnoitre the route, a DMU (Decision Making Unit)
with over 200 sensors to relay instructions and regulate the
performance of the 21Revolution, and two police cars.
The motorcade moves slowly at a speed of around 15 kph. But
Weigand assures us that they will go a lot faster in Australia:
"The solar car is even capable of a speed of 120 kilometres per
hour." In any case, what matters most in the race in Australia is
not the maximum speed but the average speed. The team will have to
gather as much solar energy as possible during the race and put it
to optimal use.
Accolade
Groups of people stand watching at the roadside. Photographers
have searched out the best vantage points for taking pictures. A
stream of traffic soon assembles behind the procession. Marit
Lintsen, one of the team leaders, heaves a deep sigh of relief when
the cars drive by: "It's great to see them in action at long last.
We were a bit worried about it all coming together. Not that long
ago, the car crashed into a pole during a test drive at Twente air
base. We had to work flat out to get it ready again for the race."
Team member Annemiek Dul is also relieved: "I was so nervous. When
I saw them pass, it was as if a weight fell from my shoulders. This
is the first accolade for all our hard work."
