The solar car team from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor finished fourth in the 3,000-kilometer transcontinental Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia piloting a vehicle named Astrum.
The event calls for participants to design, develop, and pilot a solar-powered vehicle along a route with extreme winds and low light from the northern city of Darwin to the southern city of Adelaide.
California-based Amprius Technologies supplied its next-generation lithium-ion batteries and Silicon Anode Platform to the top four finishers in the contest.
Amprius-powered collegiate solar car teams crossed the finish line on Oct. 26, three days before the race was slated to conclude on Oct. 29.
The rest of the top four included:
- Innoptus Solar Team’s Infinite made by a team of students from KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium.
- Solar Team Twente. This vehicle called RED X was built by team of students from the University of Twente and Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede, Netherlands.
- Brunel Solar Team’s vehicle was called Nuna 12 and was put together by team of students from Delft University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands.
U-M’s Astrum was built by a team of undergraduates and postgraduates.
Amprius’ cells provide at least one additional kilowatt of energy when compared to other cells used in the competitions. The four teams using Amprius cells had an estimated 30 percent increase in capacity when compared to other batteries of comparable weight.
“To help enable these teams to capture the top 4 positions in the world’s most demanding solar car race is remarkable,” says Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius. “This is a testament to the intense preparation and determination from all four teams. We’re extremely proud our Silicon Anode Batteries proved capable of increasing
