Singapore Polytechnic students rebuild solar car after major setback

Just three weeks from departure for a prestigious international race, the team’s chances of competing were crushed when their self-built solar car, SunSPEC4 was destroyed.

With additional funding and logistical support from Singapore Power, the team acquired and assembled parts under a highly-compressed schedule. Airfreight helped save two weeks compared to marine freight, and Singapore Power alumni – all alumni of Singapore Polytechnic – also provided additional support.

The polytechnic’s team is the only Singapore contender in what is considered the toughest solar car race in the world. The team will travel 3,000km from Darwin to Adelaide in six days, using only solar energy.

Singapore Power is the sponsor of this initiative, through a five-year $1 million-partnership. The wide-ranging agreement will enable the Singapore Polytechnic team to compete at the biennial World Solar Challenge in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Mr Steven Chew, Team Manager and Senior Lecturer at the polytechnic’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering said: “We were devastated to see 20 months of hard work totally destroyed in front of us. But we received strong encouragement from our Board and management, and the students responded by committing to rebuild the car to stay in the Challenge. This became possible when Singapore Power stepped up their sponsorship, including airfreighting the car, which shaved two weeks from the schedule.”

Mr Lee Kok Kin, Singapore Power’s Head of Group Risk Management and alumni of the polytechnic, said “Singapore Power stepped up our support so that the entire production can be expedited, especially with supply of materials. We also helped to secure space for road testing.

Besides being Singapore’s sole entry, SunSPEC4 is the only team from a polytechnic, competing alongside leading global universities such as Stanford University, Cambridge University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team is in the advanced Cruiser Class category of the competition which encourages the cars to be designed for practicality and acceptance in today’s market segment.

Credits: