Durham University Solar Car

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DUSC logo

Durham University is undertaking the development of a high-performance solar powered car. The vehicle toured the UK in the summer of 2004^[1], visiting secondary schools to promote science and engineering. It is also planned to compete in the World Solar Challenge, a biennial race across Australia for solar powered vehicles.

The project makes use of Durham’s School of Engineering's expertise across the engineering disciplines. The department has particular expertise in the fields of solar technology, racing car aerodynamics, aircraft structures, direct drive electrical machines and electric/hybrid vehicles. The project has proved extremely popular with students. Undergraduate design teams have developed a number of concept vehicle designs and final year research projects have considered key aspects in detail.

The development of DUSC is now being accelerated by a group of people[1], headed by undergraduate students, to ensure it is able to race in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. The project is run in a similar way to racing teams at other UK universities, which develop conventional racing cars.

Therefore, DUSC is unique as it is currently the only student racing team in the UK developing a solar powered car for entry in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge^[2]. The team will also enter a car in the 2009 World Solar Challenge.