Institution news
Last autumn they completed another 3,000km marathon drive across Australia in the World Solar Challenge; the third time the team has entered the event.
“Last year we celebrated our 15th anniversary, making us arguably Britain’s most established solar car team and we celebrated in a big way,” says Head of DUEM's Business Team, Tobias
McBride. “Off the back of attending the UN Climate Summit and Formula E-Prix in Marrakech in late 2016, we not only raced our car 3,000 km across Australia as the only UK team to compete in the World Solar Challenge, but we also attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed and re-attended the UN Climate Summit, in Bonn, signing a landmark agreement there called the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions.”
The team also presented in the world-famous Faraday Lecture Theatre at London’s Royal Institution - view the video.
Tobias says the publicity that comes with such events offers a great opportunity for the team’s current and potential future partners who back promoting green energy and the benefits of solar power in combating climate change.
“Climate change is the biggest problem facing our planet today, and our car fits into that topic so well because it offers the complete solution,” he says. “A lot of electric vehicles available now plug into a charging point, and that’s all well and good but where does that electricity come from? Our solution provides the perfect opportunity to remove the grid entirely and also drive real efficiency.
“We are effectively driving on the power of a microwave - 1kW - across Australia, (even when it rained this year, believe it or not), so the car needs to be incredibly aerodynamic. With our technology, consumers can have the complete experience from charge to drive; you never have to plug a solar car in, and they also show the great potential of efficiencies in this area.”
“Getting the message of the importance of solar out is vital,” he adds. “We can fire the imaginations of adults and kids, and inspiring the next generation to think about how our planet is run and powered is fantastically exciting.” This is via not only the world famous events the team attends but their extensive outreach program as well, focused on inspiring future STEM students particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Look out for DUEM later this year at Energy Live (7th June in The Chrystal, Docklands) as well as at the Berlin and Zurich rounds of the Formula E-Prix (19th May and 10th June respectively).
The team will be launching a new car later this year and have a number of other exciting events lined up worldwide. “As you can see” Tobias said, “our future is decidedly solar. If the past 16 years of our experience are anything to go by, the next 18 months will be DUEM’s biggest yet with a number of exciting events and ideas that we can’t share just yet but you will hear about very soon”.