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Bottom shell released!
Today we took a big step forward in our WSC09 campaign, with the release of the bottom shell from its mould.
Over the last week, team members have been working night and day at our Partners, Boeing Aerostructure Australia, to build the most complicated carbon-fibre part that we will need: the bottom shell. This component supports the suspension, steering, driver, batteries, solar array and every other part of the car in what is known as a monocoque design. Campbell McLaren, the team member who analysed the structure, looked on nervously as we pulled it out, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that the surface finish was so good! Soon, various stiffeners will be bonded into the bottom shell, and we will be able to see IVy on the road for the first time.... so good! Soon, various stiffeners will be bonded into the bottom shell, and we will be able to see IVy on the road for the first time. Over the next month you should see lots more updates h...
IVy's bottom shell mould is complete!
Sunswift IV Bottom Shell Mould Layup TimelapseWSC09: Day Nine - Arrival in Darwin
Today the team arrived at Hidden Valley racetrack in Darwin, where we spent the day. It was really exciting to meet teams from all around the world, check out their cars and here about their journeys to Australia. We met teams from Holland, Malaysia, Japan, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, France and the US and are looking forward to meeting many more in the next couple of days (we're still waiting to meet the German team who will be our next door neighbours in pitt lane).
IVy spent the day racing around the track and when we got back to Glen's house this evening we saw footage of her driving on the ABC. IVy will be undergoing rigourous static and dynamic scrutineering over the next few days, today the track was full of stories from teams who had been sent back to fix or change things. The team is confident that IVy will meet the excellent standards of the World Solar Challenge and is looking forward to showing off our design....re still waiting to meet the German team who will be our next door neighbours in pitt lane).
IVy spent the day racing around the track and when we got back to Glen's house this evening we saw foot......And we're back!
Good day ladies and gentlemen, Dan here for an update on our progress. I’ve taken over the helm of web updates so you’ll be hearing from me a lot during the next couple of days.
Before I start this decidedly overdue update, I’d like really like to apologize for the media blackout. As you can imagine the entire team has been sleep (and internet) deprived in the lead up to the start of WSC 09. We wanted to fill everybody in as much as possible but work on IVy got the better of us.
As I type this we are 2km South of Larramah sitting 3 feet from a diesel generator surrounded by harsh but beautiful terrain of the Northern Territory. It’s quite a scene. John, Etienne, Claudia and Caitlin are preparing cous-cous stir fry for the team. The array has been on our tilter-trailer for about half an hour charging the battery for tomorrow’s start at 8am, and everybody else is unpacking and getting the camp ready.
Let me back up a bit and fill you in on how we made it here. Scrutineering (the process of race officials signing off that your car follows the regulations, and is fit for highway driving) was tough. We had some minor but time consuming changes to make for us to qualify, and this left a lot of Sunswifters on very little sleep for way too long. We lived up at the Hidden Valley pits taking the occasional nap at Glen’s folks place, they treated us like royalty and we can’t thank them enough (Thanks guys!!!).
On qualifying day (this past Saturday), I’m happy to announce that IVy ran the track in 2 minutes and 16 seconds, placing us at 7th from pole position. The break test was a triumph for the Mechanical Team, whose breaks managed to pass the scrutineering test in a 6th of the distance required. On another positive mechanical note, after 8 hours sleep in 3 days the Mech guys managed to sort out the wheel alignment, angle of attack, a slight break run and fitted all the fairing properly. On the way up to Darwin the motor was pulling 2200W, and on the way down so far it has needed only 800W. This is a massive boost in efficiency.
Overall we were tired but thrilled with IVy’s performance during scrutineering. We left the pits at 8pm on Saturday and went to Glen’s for a BBQ, team meeting but most importantly sleep.
Following is an introduction to our fleet layout for WSC, and reports for each day we’ve been on the race as we’re able to post them. Not to worry, every one gets written, and sit ready to be put online.
... the lead up to the start of WSC 09. We wanted to fill everybody in as much as possible but work on IVy got the better of us.
As I type this we are 2km South of Larramah sitting 3 feet from a ...
Media Resources
... 1024 x 768 JPEG 724KB Computer model of IVy 1375 x 750 JPEG 203KB IVy at Laun...
Race Day 4 - Wednesday
Summary
We passed MIT at about 3pm and are now the number 1 silicon solar car in the race! We’re 5th in the whole race, and 4th in Challenge class. MIT are about 10 minutes behind us so we feel the pressure but are running the race how IVy needs it to be done. Tomorrow will be an intense day as we want to make it into Port Augusta by 3pm, in which case we can go straight onto Adelaide. Overall we travelled 663km today at an average of about 84km/h.
Mechanical
No issues.Electric
No issues.
Camp
We made it to Glendambo control stop. We're camping at the camp site there and should be out of here by 8:20am. It's going to be an exciting day.
The fact that we have so little to update on mechanical and electrical is a testament to IVy and the technical teams. The car is running fantastically, with every component on its best behaviour. Merely the fact that we have reached this point is incredible, and we are having a great time.
Keep an eye on the WSC page for our placing at the next control stop sometime tomorrow.
...enge class. MIT are about 10 minutes behind us so we feel the pressure but are running the race how IVy needs it to be done. Tomorrow will be an intense day as we want to make it into Port Augusta by 3pm...
IVy in the press
Thanks to everyone who came to our Industry and Media Showcase, we found IVy on 8 different media sites yesterday, including ABC news photos where she was the "top shot". Clara was also interviewed by Adam Spencer on 702 ABC Sydney for 10 minutes.
A full list of media coverage can be found in our media archive
and photos from the day will be up in the gallery section very soon....: left;" />
Thanks to everyone who came to our Industry and Media Showcase. We found IVy on 8 different media sites yesterday, including ABC ne...IVy in the press again
IVy has been lucky enough to feature on the home pages of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
. The articles included an interview with Clara and footage from WSC07. She also appeared in Sky News, Sustainability Matters, China View, Seven News and NineMSN....ics/2009/Screen-shot.png" style="float: left; padding-right: 5px; width: 175px; height: 117px;" /> IVy has been lucky enough to feature on the home pages of WSC09 Race Strategy - every possible angle covered
By understanding that strategy is an important facet of the 2009 World Solar Challenge, Sunswift team members have undertaken a huge development task.
Sunswift IVy's electrical system provides a vast amount of data to the strategist, but recording and analysing that data is a daunting feat. To help with strategy decisions, we have designed a piece of software that interfaces with the car's telemetry system, and provides a visual display of data being transferred from the solar car. Scanalysis is written in Python with a GTK user interface and runs on both Linux and Mac OS, and with a mobile wireless network between all of the vehicles in our fleet, everyone in the team will be able to see live and up-to-date statistics on the car."The analysis that this software allows us to perform will allow Sunswift IVy to perform at her most efficient throughout the race, it will allow us to monitor, among other statistics, tracker output, array temperature, tyre pressure, battery voltage and temperature, and detailed motor controller information", says electrical team member Etienne Le Sueur
Scanalysis is under constant development, and will also allow us to make updates to our website while on the race, so look forward to live updates from Sunswift later in October!...r Challenge, Sunswift team members have undertaken a huge development task.
Sunswift IVy's electrical system provides a vast amount of data to the strategist, but recording and analysing t...Media Archive
...ed by a ray of hope - The Australian [Link] 12 Oct 2009 - In a league of her own: the car called IVy which runs on less power than a toaster - The Age [Link] 12 Oct 2009 - In a league of her own: t...
