Good luck to all the 3rd and 4th years who start exams tomorrow! Remember – if all else fails, just write the conservation of energy and the conservation of mass…it’s bound to be close enough…
The looming of exam season means that either our posting rate will drop dramatically, or, alternatively, will skyrocket as team members search frantically for an excuse not to do any more differential equations…
While the lead engineer behind Bethany’s motor has been on exam leave, construction of the 1.8kw device has begun! Liquid Nitrogen fitting of various components is underway and general assembly is ongoing.
CUER's entry in the "Design a New Coca-Cola Can" contest was swiftly rejected.
The bearing fittings for one half of the motor have been completed and the team is preparing to assemble most of the structural components in the wheel section while its other half is modified to allow for adjustment.
Had a fantastic morning in Birmingham filming Affinity for The Gadget Show (to be aired at 20:00 on Monday 4th May). Presenters Jason Bradbury and Ortis Deley were filmed with the car and Jason drove Affinity around the park at breakneck speeds! Despite saying Affinity had “probably the worst steering I’ve ever encountered” (never mind, Martin…), Jason loved the car and there were quite a few times when he disappeared around a corner and we weren’t sure if he was going to come back.
- Anthony
Images of Bethany have been released to the press, resulting in widespread coverage including front cover of The Engineer magazine and articles in Wired.co.uk, Professional Engineering and Autoblog Green. We also took Affinity down to film an episode of Channel Five’s The Gadget Show.
Now we just need to make the real car look as good as the pictures…
Otis from the Gadget Show with some pleb. Look out for Affinity on TV next month!
Wil E. Coyote suddenly lost interest in the Roadrunner
We are proud to be able to present our new car design, codenamed “Bethany”. The new vehicle will improve hugely on the performance of Affinity, showcasing cutting-edge technology as it cruises at around 60mph using pure sunshine. Aiming for a top-ten position against the best teams in the world this October, we hope that Bethany will be Britain’s brightest hope for success in solar racing.
The final design is the culmination of months of work by our Aero, Mechanical, Electrical and Strategy teams. Huge thanks also go out to our academic supervisors, specialist advisors and sponsors. Bethany is now being manufactured and we expect to officially launch the car in July.
For the full press release and pictures, click here. A Bethany mini-site will go live soon. If you are interested in supporting the project, please see our Friends of CUER scheme or our sponsorship page.
On March 19th the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, announced the Global Green Challenge, an evolution of the World Solar Challenge. The solar car race will remain unchanged, but the event will have a broader focus to promote alternative energy vehicles.
“The Global Green Challenge will present hybrid, electric, solar, low emission, and alternative energy vehicles to a world that is now eager to positively engage with practical transport solutions to contribute to a healthy future for the planet,” Mr. Rann said.
The dates of the solar car race are unchanged (25th – 31st October 2009) and more information can be found at www.globalgreenchallenge.com.au
- Anthony
CUER’s second generation vehicle has been completed! The array has just been attached to the shell, which was then fitted perfectly to the fully working chassis. She drives like a dream, and all systems are functioning perfectly! Now for a good four months of solid testing to really refine the design. Preliminary data suggests a CdA of 0.5 and cruising speed of 95mph. Good work, team!
