DCU students unveil Ireland’s first solar racing car

The solar racing car is set to compete in Belgium

The single-seater has been designed and built by more than 40 DCU students drawn from mechanical and electrical engineering, software engineering and business.

The project has been in the workings for over four years, with research, prototyping and aerodynamic testing.

What is in the solar racing car

The vehicle is around six metres long and built to maximise energy efficiency and minimise drag.

It features a custom solar array, lightweight composite materials and bespoke telemetry, and runs entirely on solar energy and battery storage.

The team put it through a test drive at Mondello Park in Co Kildare on Thursday.

It will be unveiled to the public at The Helix at DCU on 9 September at 6pm, before the students represent Ireland at the iLumen European Solar Challenge at Circuit Zolder in Belgium on 19 and 20 September.

It is one of the few 24-hour solar endurance races in the world, where teams must balance speed, energy management and battery efficiency.

'Four years of work'

Rian Gill, Team Principal and Lead Engineer at DCU Solar Racing, credited the students, the university and industry partners.

"It's been incredible to see the work done over the past 4 years and to see all the effort pay off," he said.

Jennifer Bruton, Executive Dean of DCU's Faculty of Engineering and Computing, said the students were showing that sustainable transport solutions could be developed through "dedication, teamwork, multidisciplinary hands-on application, and vision."