Bridgestone World Solar Challenge: The future is driven by the sun

I’m delighted that we are able to support the Technical University of Munich’s TUfast Eco Team this year. These young people are fired up about what they are doing and are investing a lot of time and passion in this project. It’s about much more than building a solar car. It’s primarily about devising a driving strategy that makes the most efficient use possible of the energy available. To achieve this, everyone in the team needs to pool their expertise and push boundaries. Teams that complement each other well, encourage each other, break new ground, and see mistakes as an opportunity to improve have a clear advantage. It is precisely these kinds of people that we need to accelerate the transformation of mobility.

You are Head of Marketing in your team. What does your role involve?

As Head of Marketing, I take care of the planning and execution of our social media communication, for example. I also attend a lot of trade fairs, such as electronica in Munich, to talk to sponsors and interested parties. And another exciting project that I’m currently working on with the entire marketing team is the realization of a documentary on the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. 

What do you feel makes this challenge special? And when did TUfast Eco start taking part?

The World Solar Challenge is an international race for solar cars that is held in Australia every two years. University teams from all over the world go head-to-head, which is very unusual. However, for me personally, this challenge is primarily the adventure of my life! Unlike in other races, we will be driving on public roads. We are not allowed to drive past 5 p.m. and when it gets to that time, we have to spend the night wherever we happen to be. In the middle of the wilderness, in a tent, and with no home comforts.

We at TUfast Eco are taking part in this challenge for the first time this year. Previously we have mainly taken part in competitions that focus on efficiency, like the Shell Eco-marathon. We have even set two world records. After the most recent world record it was time for us to try something new, and our thinking was that now we are ready for a new challenge!

Has this project helped you develop personally? What are the most important lessons learned for you? 

The most important things that I have learned actually come from the fields of engineering and production. My math studies mainly cover theory. My involvement in the TUfast Eco Team really is of great help. I think it’s incredibly valuable to be able to combine the practical aspect and the theoretical aspect.

You mentioned that you are currently filming a documentary. Could you tell us something about this?

In the documentary, our main aim is to show the great adventure that comes with this challenge. Starting from the design phase and moving to the planning phase and on to transporting the car to Australia, and of course our journey through the Outback. We will be travelling through landscapes that you just don’t see in Germany. And naturally we are also eager to show that e-mobility is advancing and that it is possible to harness solar energy in everyday life.

You are Technical Director in your team. What does your role involve? 

My actual tasks are mainly to do with the overall coordination of the technical field, including project planning and keeping to deadlines. I’m doing a master’s degree in engineering and therefore have more of a focus on mechanics. For example, during the overall assembly process, I am responsible for the internal checks of components and for ensuring that the entire development and construction process is correct. I am also responsible for selecting the drivers. The main factors here are driving dynamics, reaction time, and sticking to the racing lines defined by the driving strategy. 

What are the particular technical challenges of this challenge? What is the key?

From a purely technical perspective, it is relatively simple to build efficient cars. Aerodynamics, weight, and electric efficiency – particular the interaction between inverter and engine – play a key role here. When you optimize all these factors, you can build a highly efficient vehicle. By way of comparison, our car has just one seventh of the aerodynamic resistance of a VW Passat. Even though it is longer and is almost the exact same width.

To survive the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, we need to get the maximum out of everything available to us, in line with the motto “push the boundaries.” The particular challenge in this competition is primarily in combining the latest technologies. We are constantly trying to push the limits of what is possible. So far, the simulations have been superb. However, what matters is what actually happens when the car is finished.

Has this project helped you develop personally? What are the most important lessons learned for you?  

Absolutely. We are definitely investing more effort in this project than in a full-time job. But I would still do it again any time, simply because it is such a great learning experience. If you extrapolate the working time, you gain about four years’ work experience in two years. Nothing comes close to what you learn here.

How do you benefit from having Audi as your main sponsor?

A large focus of my master’s studies is on aerodynamics. Which is why I am really pleased that we are able to test our car in Audi’s wind tunnel. This means that we will see the effects of our aerodynamics in realistic conditions. This is what is my real personal highlight. 

You are Team Manager of this project. What does your role involve? 

As Team Manager, I am mainly responsible for budget management and negotiating contracts with sponsors. But naturally I also always have an overview of the team. Coordinating the team is an important task for me. Our team is made up of many sub-teams that each focus on their specific topics, for example, logistics, marketing, procurement, mechanics, electrics, and driving strategy. It goes without saying that good communication with each other as well as holding everything together are key. To this end, I am in constant close contact with all parties, which enables me to find out the latest state of play and whether everything is running smoothly. 

In this kind of competition, you need to be able to rely on each other. In addition to communication, solidarity is particularly important. Where do you think your team spirit comes from?

The joint task and great joy of being able to take part is where our team spirit comes from. We are all very passionate about this project and want to achieve the best result. To this end, everyone is investing lots of time and energy, but it is also great fun. Naturally, every now and then there are moments that are particularly challenging or in which there are differences of opinion. As a team we try to clarify things together and despite how big the team is – approximately 80 people – we have always managed to be good at doing this so far.

As the project progresses, the team is growing closer and closer. After all we are also spending a lot of time together and are now very good friends. To further strengthen the solidarity, we organize regular team-building events. These are mainly activities that have nothing to do with cars, such as bowling, minigolf, or going to a restaurant. Naturally this also strengthens relationships.

Has this project helped you develop personally? What are the most important lessons learned for you? 

Through my position as Team Manager, I have mainly learned how important soft skills are. How do you communicate in the right way? How do you interact with each other? How do you solve problems? All this is crucial for the success of a team.

And finally: What are you most looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to seeing the car driving in Australia. We’re taking part in this competition for the first time, which is something incredibly special. It’s 3,000 kilometers through the desert and many teams don’t even make it to the finish line. But I really think that we are in with a good chance with our fantastic team. We might even finish in the top ten.

You are Head of Driving Strategy in your team. What does your role involve?

With the right driving strategy, the main question is when to invest how much energy and in what. This question is particularly important since handling the available energy correctly is decisive for success in the race. The particular challenge is the limited amount of energy that we have available to make it through the race well. We need to consider various factors. How steep is the route? How much energy will we get from the sun? How will the clouds develop? We need to include all these factors in our calculations in order to be able to calculate various scenarios based on them.

How quickly will you be able to adapt your driving strategy to the actual conditions on the ground?

In the race we will have sensors that we can use to compare the actual values with our simulation. This will show us whether our driving strategy is actually working in the real conditions, or whether we need to make some readjustments. We will also have a car driving ahead of us to inform us of any changes. This will allow us to adapt our calculations continuously in line with the actual conditions. After all, it is not only the weather that will be key. We will be driving on public roads, so there will also be traffic jams and obstructions. Which is why we need to incorporate potential overtaking maneuvers into our calculations. Is it worth overtaking? How much additional energy will this consume? What speed do we need to reach in how much time? 

Has this project helped you develop personally? What are the most important lessons learned for you? 

I have already learned an incredible amount about teamwork and practical tasks. Naturally, I’m confident that this will also benefit me both personally and professionally. But I don’t think that anyone in our team is doing it for personal gain. Taking part in a challenge as exciting as this is enough of a reward. I still think it’s absolutely amazing: We’re taking a car to Australia, building it entirely ourselves using carbon and lightweight construction, and will be driving it through the desert. The ultimate learning experience.

And finally: How is Audi supporting you as a sponsor?

With Audi as a sponsor, naturally we are benefitting a great deal from the financial support. But I also think that the technical exchange is particularly important. It is likely that we will also be able to use Audi’s wind tunnel for our car. That is hugely important for the right driving strategy in particular.