aCentauri Solar Racing
| Base | Zürich, Switzerland
47°22′0″N 8°33′0″E / 47.36667°N 8.55000°E |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | ETH Zürich, ( FHNW, ZHAW) |
| Co Project Manager | Clara Norenberg |
| Co Project Manager | Flurin Solèr |
| Website | https://www.acentauri.ch/ |
| World Solar Challenge | |
| First Entry | 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge |
| best result | 12th (2023) |
| European Solar Challenge | |
| First Entry | 2024 iLumen European Solar Challenge |
| best result | 13th (2024) |
aCentauri Solar Racing is a student-led team based in Zurich that designs and builds their own solar race cars to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia.[1]
Solar cars
[edit]Aletsch
[edit]
Developed and built for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2023, Aletsch is the first vehicle from aCentauri Solar Racing. The car weighs 188 kg and has a top speed of 120 km/h.[2][3]
Upcoming 2025 car
[edit]
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported on the team’s plans to develop a new vehicle for the 2025 World Solar Challenge as part of ETH Zurich’s continued involvement in the competition.[4]
On April 4th the team released a render of the upcoming car on thier Instagram page.[5]
Race history
[edit]World Solar Challenge 2023
[edit]In its debut race, the aCentauri team successfully completed the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, finishing 12th overall. They covered the 3,022-kilometre route from Darwin to Adelaide in six days, with an official race time of 49 hours, 3 minutes, and 38 seconds. As the final team to cross the finish line within the official time limit, their performance marked a notable debut for a first-time team.[6]
PV Magazine reported on the team's debut, noting the car's use of monocrystalline silicon solar panels and lightweight composite materials. The article described the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge as a major international solar car race and noted the team's engineering adaptations to Australian conditions.[7]
24 hours iLumen European Solar Challenge 2024
[edit]From September 18 to 22, 2024, the team participated in the iESC at Circuit Zolder in Belgium with their solar race car Aletsch. Over the course of the 24-hour race, Aletsch completed 163 laps of the 4.011 km circuit, covering a total distance of 654 km. The fastest lap was recorded at 4 minutes, 28.66 seconds. Overall, the team finished in 13th place among the participants.[8]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Nur mit Sonnenkraft durch Australien: Dieser ETH-Student und sein Team bauen ein Solarauto". www.wundo.ch (in German). 27 February 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (22 October 2023). "Zurich students race in Australia in self-built solar car". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Team der ETH Zürich in Australien: Das selbstgebaute Solarauto rollt bisher erfolgreich". Galaxus (in German). 23 October 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Schmidt, Herbie (25 May 2024). "Alles für die elektrische Reichweite: mit der Kraft der Sonne durch Australien gleiten". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Schmidt, Herbie (25 May 2024). "E-Mobilität auf der Überholspur: Schweizer Solarmobil-Team in Australien". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German).
- ^ "Swiss students crossing Australian outback in solar car". pv magazine. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "European Solar Challenge 2024 Results". Scientific Gems. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.