Infinite Energy Solar Car Challenge 2021
200 excited students from 14 Perth and WA high schools raced their student-designed and built model solar cars over the 28 and 29 October, on tree-lined Riley Oval at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in the Infinite Energy Solar Car Challenge.
Infinite Energy, AIE Perth and UWA co-sponsored and organised the event, as they did in 2017 and 2019, with COVID causing the 2020 event to be cancelled.
The weather forecast for both days was “partly cloudy”, but it turned out more like “partly sunny” with constantly changing cloud and blue sky conditions, challenging the teams to use the best gear ratios and other settings to get the fastest race times.
Two cars at a time raced side-by-side on the Infinite figure-8 track, providing lots of excitement whenever the lead changed or there was a close finish.
Day one consisted of time trials, allowing students to test their cars on a track - some for the first time. Some students worked late into the night to ensure any modifications or improvements were ready for day two!
Day two of the Infinite Energy Solar Car Challenge was the finals, and after the 48 teams competed in round robin races in the morning, the 16 successful teams went through to knock-out rounds after lunch, when the following winners emerged:
- 1st place, $1,000 prize: Girrawheen Senior High School
- 2nd place, $750 prize: John Forrest Secondary College
- 3rd place, $500 prize: Girrawheen Senior High School
- 4th place, $250 prize: John Forrest Secondary College.
The finals day was opened by WA Energy Minister, the Hon Bill Johnston MLA, with AIE member John Saratsis keeping the races rolling and the students excited as Event MC.
Certificates were also awarded for most spectacular crash, best decorated egg (the driver, which had to survive unbroken), best video presentation of the design and build of the car, best 3-D printed design, best engineered car, most eco-friendly car and best team effort.
Student creativity shone through with a wide variety of car designs and build methods amongst the 56 cars entered. With car names like “Volts Wagon”, “Watts up”, “Britney Steers”, and “Flammable”; it was obvious the students had a lot of fun when designing and building their cars.
The cars had to comply with a set of rules and use standard motors and solar panels, but the rest of the design was open to their knowledge and creativity. Teachers and keen parents play an important part during this challenge, teaching the students the necessary science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) principles.
Congratulations to all the students, teachers and parents involved and to the organising committee and volunteers, all of whom put in a great deal of effort over the year to make the event such a great success.
