As far as the sun carries

At the race, student teams from around the world will once again attempt to push the boundaries of solar technologies and engineering. The Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa welcomes its participants in September for an endurance race of a special kind: the challenge is to cover the longest distance in eight days using only solar energy. Due to the changing weather conditions and an altitude difference of almost 2,000 meters, the Sasol Solar Challenge is a unique challenge for the teams and their vehicles. On the race track, the solar cars have to show their full potential in terms of low power consumption and aerodynamics. The vehicles reach top speeds of around 90 kilometers per hour. The Agoria Solar Team is the current European and World Champion and has already won races in Chile, Australia and Belgium.

Yari Van Hecke, responsible for business relations at the Agoria Solar team: “The expectations on us are high and the competition is getting tougher every year. So we have to do our best, and for that we need the best partners. As a student team, we know that some problems can't be solved in isolated labs, and that industry feedback is often key to taking an idea to the next level.”

Although the team is taking over the car's chassis from the previous team, there is plenty of room for improvement; many systems inside the car are being redesigned. Van Hecke sums up: “We will continue to innovate to show what can be achieved with sustainable technology, and we are grateful to have found a partner in TDK who believes with us in a future powered by clean energy.”

Agoria Solar Team

TDK NTC Elements

Know how and products

Monitoring the behavior of the solar car is crucial during races. This allows the team to anticipate potential problems during the race and adjust the strategy. TDK NTC-elements are used to monitor the temperature of the specially developed motor and battery pack. The sensors were selected for their high reliability and ensure the safe operation of the solar car.

In addition, this year the Agoria-Solar team is revising the design of the motor controller to further improve efficiency and reliability. With the help of TDK, CeraLink^® capacitors were selected as the most suitable due to their excellent high-voltage and frequency performance. In addition, the capacitors are highly efficient and can withstand high temperatures, which was an important requirement.

The Bluepoint Atlas will also feature TDK's SmartBug all-in-one wireless sensor module. It will be mounted in the solar car's cockpit to monitor temperature and humidity for driver comfort. With its built-in 6-axis IMU, which includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, the SmartBug can also be used for motion analysis.

Motor controller with CeraLink.