Solar car teams win support

Altium is supporting the future of design innovation in two student projects from the University of NSW and the University of Iowa.

The students are using the company's unified electronics design to build and race solar cars in a series of competitions to promote the development of solar energy.

In Australia, the company is supporting Sunswift, a NSW solar racing team that is developing a solar-powered racing car that will compete in both the World Solar Challenge in 2009, the world’s first and premier solar racing event and the inaugural South Africa Solar Challenge (SASC) in 2010.

Students are using a unified electronic design environment to build a complete suite of electronics, including new driver controls, monitoring systems and a new braking system.

These systems will have to endure more than 7000 km of extreme conditions, from the hot, dry desert of Australia to the tough, hilly coast of South Africa.

”The team’s objectives are to develop innovative technologies, provide a platform for practical learning for students and promote a sustainable future,” said Clara Mazzone, project leader, Sunswift.

Iowa University’s PrISUm solar racing team is designing Sol Invictus, its ninth car for competition. This latest car will be featured in the North America Solar Challenge (NASC) 2008, travelling from Dallas, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – a total of 3861 km.

The company’s unified electronics design solution is being used on the largest electronics project, a new battery protection system for the car. The system, which comprises several PCBs, will help protect the car’s lithium-ion batteries by monitoring all 30 battery modules for voltage levels, temperature and current. It also allows the driver to switch off battery modules that can be susceptible to damage from surges in voltage, or from excessive temperatures.

Students are also using unified electronics to develop a range of custom electronics that will be incorporated into the car’s final design.

These include power supplies, a speedometer and power meter displays. A driver interface will display performance data and a communication link will send data from the car’s battery protection system and motor controller to team members, allowing them to implement features such as cruise control.