The Philippine’s first ever World Solar Challenge entry has now hit the 2000 km milestone of the gruelling 3000km race in Australia. Check out their current position [here].
The car, cristened Sinag, is taken from the Filipino word meaning “Ray of Sunlight.” The car was built by Students from my Alma Mater’s Mechanical Engineering Department and Electronics and Communications Engineering Dept, with the help of their professors.
In a race that has 40 participants, Sinag has held its own by placing 11th in the Challenge class. Problems encountered by the team till now were minor. Primarily that of the car’s brake system which caused them to wear out their tires faster and lose precious time changing tires.
Despite their good showing, the team is not that overtly confident by assuring anybody of a win. Anything can still happen on the second half stretch. Sinag’s good performance on the first half made them pass the 1,000-km mark without needing to rely on auxiliary power. This option is allowed in the contest mechanics but they would incur penalties that would reduce the team’s score.
Sinag Team leader Robert Obiles said:
Whether or not we finish this race, we feel we’ve already accomplished our goal of building a working solar car and letting people at home know that solar power is a viable and reliable source of energy[source]
That’s the way to go Boy’s!, Slow and Steady.
For more updates on them, check out their team blog.
Sponsors of the Group that made the entry to the World Solar Challenge possible were:
Ford Group Philippines, Motolite, Philippine Airlines, San Miguel Corp., Shell, SunPower, U-Freight, and Ventus. Aurora, Cabrera Lavadia and Associates, JWT, Creasia, Merritt Partners, Tuason Racing School, Gochermann Solar Technology, and Stratworks.
Category: Misc
