The words "driving" and "solar energy" may make you think of the Lightyear project. But where Lightyear became a company, this student team's approach was primarily idealistic: They wanted to show the world what it would take to make driving truly sustainable.
They could not have given a better example than the Stella Terra: a robust off-road vehicle with a top speed of 145 km and an impressive range: 630 kilometers on a sunny day. This car is completely autonomous, thanks to solar panels on the roof and what we would call ‘the hood’ on conventional cars.
Anything but reinventing the wheel
We talked to Thieme Bosman, The PR & Events representative at Team Solar. He takes on this responsibility with enthusiasm and flair: "Building a bridge between innovation and society is great work. I am even considering taking up a communications study after or alongside my studies at TU/e. Especially towards car manufacturers, there is still a lot of work to do. Because it takes more than making existing models electric to really start driving sustainably. You actually have to start from scratch."
So that was what this project group did when they started in September 2022. Thieme: "We wanted to reinvent everything but the wheel."
Solar-powered submarine
During the first brainstorms, an idea even came up for a solar-powered submarine: "We probably could have pulled it off, but we decided to focus on inspiring instead of amazing. We wanted to show the world what’s possible if you dare to start with a completely blank page: a solar-powered electric off-road car. That's the ultimate type of freedom, because you're not dependent on gas stations, charging stations or even roads."
But developing and building such a complex car was also the ultimate challenge, especially if you have no understanding of cars. Team Solar saw that as an advantage. Thieme: "Actually, it was just fundamental research: forget the conventions and rethink and rebuild everything." Among other things, they developed a suspension that is just as sturdy as the classic variants, but considerably lighter. And inverters that are much more efficient than conventional variants.
Collaboration
"The cooperation with companies in the Brainport region really helped us." said Thieme, "For everything we wanted to make, there was a specialist we could call on. What we came up with we discussed with them. That way we got useful input, and they got knowledge and hopefully some inspiration to innovate themselves as well."
For these companies working with Team Solar also ment: opportunities to generate publicity, gain new insights and to get to know upcoming engineers. With great results, because the engineer who developed the inverters now works at Tesla, for example. Thieme: "That was and is our goal: to have team members join the auto industry to help it change from the inside out, rather than going out and producing cars ourselves."
Parts on the baggage carousel
The Stella Terra proved its qualities in a long ride through Morocco. During that adventure, the strength of their network also became apparent. The off-road trips went smoothly, but a hole in the paved road proved fatal to part of their steering rod. Within three days the rod was redesigned, remade and on its way to Morocco. Thieme: "There were some photographers coming our way. We kindly asked them if they wanted to bring along a rather special piece of luggage."
How do I convert my caravan?
The demand for knowledge about more sustainable driving is evident from the many emails and requests the team receives, especially from end users. Thieme: "There are many people who would like to travel more sustainably, but no company can really help them. We like to share our knowledge with as many people and organizations as possible. Through them we can give the world a perspective on what is possible and what is feasible. That we can contribute to that is for us a beautiful result of our adventure."
The Stella Terra project was (partially) funded by the University Fund Eindhoven.
Driving the Stella Terra is a special experience. And not just for the people who watch this huge, aerodynamic off-roader whiz by. It is much larger than the average car but, despite its huge size and 55KwH battery, it weighs only 1,200 pounds. It drives smoothly and comfortably. Some features we are used to in modern cars were beyond the scope of the project. One example: power steering, which is now being added.
The Stella Terra will be exhibited and used during events.