The team of students from Łódź University of Technology, LODZ SOLAR TEAM has earned the title of Vice-Champions of Europe and Champions of Poland during iLumen European Solar Challenge (iESC): a race of solar-powered vehicles in Belgium that has been concluded last Sunday (22.09).
Lodz Solar Team narrates their experience from the competition:
"Once more we had proven that a great teamwork can lead to a great success. Hours of work on improving our Eagle Two vehicle lead to this achievement, which shows that Łódź University of Technology is one of the best in the world! This year, the biggest change was equipping our vehicle with a new driveline: a central electric motor and a new rear suspension specifically adjusted for that motor. Additionally, the battery was optimized to be more effective.
All the teams during this year's competition has been at a high level, which adds to the prestige of the title we have earned. There were 18 teams from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium and Turkey. European Solar Challenge was organized on a racing track previously used for Formula 1 races, Circuit Zolder in Belgium, from 19.09.2024 to 22.09.2024.
In order to compete, the vehicle needed to pass a technical inspection on Thursday. The safety of passengers, lights, indicators and signifiers, the time it takes to leave the vehicle, the chosen energy management and the structure of the battery were all tested. The bolide also needed to pass an acceleration check (0-50 km/h) and breaking check (50-0 km/h) on a distance of 25 km. Despite there being no points for passing this inspection, Eagle Two had passed every test without any problems and with five people on board.
On the second day, on Friday, first there were test drives which lasted 90 minutes. The drivers could learn the Zolder Circuit, that consists of 16 curves and one lap of 4011 m. After that, there were the dynamics tests, checking acceleration, the time it takes to pass one lap with obstacles added, and how fast the mechanics will be able to change tires. Even though out team was the fastest in the pit-stop, we earned the second place because the team from the Netherlands had driven through the obstacle course faster.
At the end of the day, there was a 120 minutes training session, for the drivers to try the course and learn how it changes after dark.
The races started on the weekend. 24-hours race begun on Saturday, at 13:00. The start followed the formula of traditional La Mans races: The drivers were all set on the starting line, and after the signal, they had run to their bolides. After turning on the engine and driving off the starting position, the vehicle joined the race. Lodz Solar Team had 4 drivers for this competition:
- Michał Buczek,
- Jakub Koch,
- Adam Roślak,
- Mikołaj Dębiński
Eagle Two was the only vehicle with five seats inside. Along the driver, at all times there were four out of eight total passengers in the bolide:
- Maria Wasilewska,
- Aniela Borsiak,
- Julia Gwóźdź,
- Natalia Tarnowska,
- Filip Gertner,
- Mateusz Godlewski,
- Szymon Przybył,
- Jakub Dabbous.
The driver and the passengers switched seats every two hours. Each passenger earned additional points during the race.
The team has made 120 laps during 24 hours period - over 481 km on one battery charge.
The race was concluded on Sunday at 13:00.
We are grateful for all the support and cheers we had received. MAY THE SUN SHINES ON OUR SOLAR PANELS!!! ☀️
Congratulations to Lodz Solar Team for this success, and we wish you more in the future!
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