The race is on to find alternative energy to fuel our cars. With the petrol price going up and up and fossil fuels threatening the planet, that race is taking on almost futuristic proportions.
No one knows that better than lecturer in the discipline of mechanical engineering at UKZN, Kirsty Veale, who has been at the helm of creating a brand new vehicle that looks as though it has just driven off the set of “Star Wars” – nuts, bolts, solar panels, silver dome and all.
The sleek graphite grey and vivid green vehicle, which could be likened to a flying saucer if you saw it in the air, or a giant ping-pong table, was one of the new-age “cars” taking part in the recent international Sasol Solar Challenge.
The mission on hand was for the solar and alternate energy cars to successfully negotiate an arduous 5 400km rally route, starting in Pretoria, heading to Springbok, Cape Town, through to Pietermaritzburg, and finally ending in Pretoria.
“The route was gruelling and being the first time that we had entered the Challenge, we had no idea how we were going to do,” said Veale. “Our 10-man team had put body and soul into this project, working on getting it into perfect order. It was our very own baby, but getting out there on the road for everybody to see – that was something else!”
The challenge involved 13 prototype vehicles, built by university students from national and international institutes as well as private entries that had to use alternative forms of energy to propel them along the route over a two-week period.
“Bitter cold, pouring rain, sweltering heat – we had it all thrown at us,” says Veale.
No wonder, then, that when the points were totted after the final stage of the 10-day event, Veale and her team were the South African champion, coming third internationally behind two Japanese teams.
In the round trip they had travelled a South African record distance of 1 930km, in a time of 99 hours and 50 minutes.
Leaders
“The Japanese have been developing their prototypes over several years and they really are the world leaders right now,” concedes Veale. We are the new kids on the block, and I don’t think we are too far behind them. We stuck rigidly to the rules of entry, but we realised there is a certain latitude – a bit of poetic licence allowed.”
Ecstatic about the car’s success is final-year mechanical engineering student, Ndivho Mmbengwa, who was the only woman student taking part in the UKZN Challenge.
“I know this car backwards,” she laughs. “It has been part of my life for the past year. I didn’t have time to get a licence for an ordinary car!”
Explaining the UKZN first-time entry Veale said the Apalis solar car was conceived as a final-year design project in the School of Engineering under the Solar Energy Research Group (SERG).
The project was overseen by herself and a fellow lecturer, Clinton Bemont, in the Discipline of Mechanical Engineering.
For those who like to know what goes on under the “bonnet” the car is powered by 6m2 of state-of-the-art silicon solar cells, charging a bank of 464 lithium-ion batteries, which drive a high efficiency electric motor. It has a lightweight carbon fibre body and chassis supported by an aluminium and chromoly sub-chassis which will now be “tweaked and streamlined” for future alternate energy Challenges.
“I don’t believe that at this point solar power for cars is a feasible alternative,” says Veale. “The batteries cannot retain enough solar energy to keep them going for long distances, although we managed the longest distance of 300km at one go. But as these technologies improve so will the capabilities of the next generation of solar powered cars. It is a very exciting age to be living in.”
The next big dream for Apalis, says Veale, is for it to take part in the World Solar Challenge next year with a new group of students willing to work hard and learn.
The project has attracted significant interest and sponsorship from industry. The major sponsors for UKZN’s entry in the race are the UKZN School of Engineering, The Technology and Innovation Agency, and Unilever.
Two sponsored cars designed, manufactured and raced by students from the University of Johannesburg were also among the futuristic entrants.
Similar
While the cars look aesthetically similar, they are each charged by different power plants.
One is a hydrogen vehicle, which uses a hydrogen fuel cell to charge the batteries and drive the electric motor.
How it works is that a hydrogen fuel cell takes in hydrogen and oxygen and produces electricity in a chemical reaction. The by-product released during the chemical reaction is water, which makes the hydrogen fuel cell an ideal candidate to promote clean energy.
The other is a turbine vehicle, which uses an electric generator mechanically coupled with a gas turbine to charge the batteries and drive the electric motor.
The turbine operates on Kerosene type jet fuel but can also operate on methane and other bio-fuels. Both vehicles have a fibreglass shell.
Sasol say they are delighted with team UKZN’s success.
“Their achievement and the experience gained from this race will make them stronger participants in future races,” said a Sasol spokesman “They could prove to be one of South Africa’s strongest solar teams.”
At the moment 60km/h for a solar car is average. “But by next year and the year after – who knows?” says Veale.
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How practical are solar powered cars?
While solar energy is a renewable resource, there is only a limited time available to collect it. The good thing is that this form of energy doesn’t pollute the air.
Solar cars use photovoltaic cells (PVC), which are in solar panels which convert the sun’s energy into electricity that we can use.
However, solar technology is expensive, and some solar panels can cost up to R3 000 each.
Solar-powered cars that are used for racing can go faster than 96m/h, but their panels have to cover the car’s body
Overall, solar energy has many benefits. The panels work silently so they don’t add to the noise pollution already on the road.
Most importantly, the energy is free and you don’t have a dependence on foreign oil.
The unfortunate downside is not having access to this energy after the sun goes down or during cloudy days.
Solar-powered cars have come a long way since the creation of the first solar cell in 1883.
One car, the Toyota Prius, has a new solar roof that can power the car for at least 32km longer.