The Hopkinson lab was half-drowned in bubblewrap last week as the team put in a gargantuan effort to pack like they had never packed before. No cramming of coathangers into a plastic bag or unfolded clothes piled haphazardly into a rucksack – no, this was the real deal.

Weekends in July and August have been spent on the test track at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre, developing Endeavour into a solar car that not only looks great, but also performs on the road. As well as using the track, we were given the opportunity to test Endeavour in Ford’s Environmental Testing Laboratory, one of only two such facilities in Europe. The car was subjected to 45degC temperatures, Australian sunshine and wind, with both car and driver surviving the test.

The summer’s testing culminated in a press day on Saturday 15th August, where Endeavour was demonstrated to supporters and journalists, including The Sun and Positive TV (see video, below). Endeavour can be spotted on a double page spread in the Sun Motoring section (Friday 21st June).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98BxAWVHvhc]

On Sunday 16th we were delighted to hit a top speed of 54mph, giving us fresh confidence for the Global Green Challenge.

A full press release and photos can be found on our press page.

- Anthony

Last Sunday I was once again at the Ford Test track in Dunton (Essex) (See Poetry in (slow) Motion for the original testing entry).  This time things were going pretty well when I got there, and the radio link, which I spoke of in the last post, was in fact working (the electrical team don’t lie*)!

This week, the issue of driver comfort has finally been forcibly pushed come to the fore of our minds. Thus far, we have had to prioritize survival over comfort – but now that the many cycles of testing and fixing are almost over (at least, in Cambridge), the majority of the mortality issues have been dealt with, and we can get on with keeping our drivers happy as well as alive. 

Last week Endeavour was tested again at Ford’s test track at Dunton (Essex).  The day started off with a bit of slow driving by me – very slow to start with, in fact, since it was the first time I’d ever driven a solar car! I can tell you that I was very excited! And, despite my earlier reservations, the seating position was not all that uncomfortable – though I wasn’t in for four hours, and it wasn’t forty degree heat. Still, it was great fun.

Endeavour was unveiled yesterday at Goodwood Festival of Speed by F1 World Championship leader, Jenson Button. The new solar racing car was exhibited in the FOS-TECH pavilion amongst other environmentally-friendly vehicles and previously-unseen prototypes.

Button talked to members of the CUER team and signed the car, commenting: “There’s some very impressive technology in this racing car. It may be a world away from an F1 car in terms of power, but to get a car to drive at 60mph using 2 horsepower takes cutting-edge engineering.”*

It was glorious weather and, while all the loud engines made us feel a bit insignificant, we were quite clearly the crowning glory of the eco-tent. Even Mike and Barnwell tore themselves away from their own personal Disneylands to come in and run some shifts handing out leaflets and snapping up Friends.

The Red Arrows did a display above Goodwood, which was absolutely brilliant, and the childrens Wacky Races area was found to be…intriguingly enjoyable.

Hilarious sunburn was had by all.

More news to follow soon. But for now, pictures! A full press release and photos can be found on our press page. Huge thanks to Jenson for his support of CUER!

 …
Read more →

Many thanks to Lucy’s cousin Alex for this!

Previously codenamed “Bethany”, CUER’s new solar racing car will be launched today with its official name, Endeavour. Named after the famous ship with which Captain Cook sailed from England to Australia, the car will be Cambridge University’s first ever entry into the Global Green Challenge in Australia.

Jenson Button will launch Endeavour at 15:20 today in the FOS-TECH pavillion at Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car will be on display throughout the weekend. Keep up with all the action at www.twitter.com/cuerendeavour

After weeks of debate, voting, and bickering, we have finally chosen a proper name for the CUER 2009 WSC entry: ENDEAVOUR

It has a brilliant background and history, as follows:

The original HMS Bark Endeavour was the ship in which James Cook
travelled on a journey of scientific exploration to Terra Australis
Incognita.
 
Endeavour is the callsign of the Apollo 15 mission, which carried the
first lunar rover to the moon and indeed was the first moon mission to
focus properly on scientific experiments rather than simply exploring.
 
The Space Shuttle Endeavour was constructed in 1987 to replace the
Challenger, making it about the same age as we all are. Its launch was
delayed last week, so it seems that, appropriately, things called
Endeavour tend to be behind schedule. Woop.
 
The Endeavour was the name of a solar research ship in Rendezvous with
Rama by Arthur C Clarke, and also appeared in Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World’s End, for some more modern pop-culturey
references. I would suggest that we go ahead and call the car the
Black Pearl, but quite frankly I’m…
Read more →

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…