JU Solar Team honoured for their achievements

The JU Solar Team was welcomed back to Jönköping University (JU) with a celebration at the School of Engineering (JTH) on 18 September. The students were honoured for their efforts in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia at the end of August where they again became the best Swedish university, finishing in eighth place out of 40 competing teams.

There was a lot of back slapping and congratulations from the team members, who shared their experiences of first building the solar car and then competing with it in the world's largest solar car competition. They also talked about camping, wildlife and starry nights in the Australian bush.

"One night I laid down on the hood of one of the cars and just looked up at the starry sky and thought: 'Wow, this is a sight I won't see very often'," says Daniel Gabrielsson, Bodywork Team Leader of the JU Solar Team.

The team members saw some kangaroos and a dingo along the race route and one night they spotted a long millipede near their campsite.

"It looked a bit unpleasant, but it was not dangerous," says Daniel Gabrielsson.

"A great feeling"

Nils Persson was one of the drivers of the solar car and sat behind the wheel during the first leg.
"It was special to get going. We had built the solar car together for a year and a half and that everything worked as we wanted and the car was as good as we could make it was a great feeling. Then, the fact that nothing mechanically broke down during the whole way through Australia is a miracle," he says and smiles.

"Made friends for life"

Both Nils and Gabriel emphasize the good cohesion within the JU Solar Team.
"I feel that I have made lifelong friends through the solar car project and to be able to do this together with everyone in the team has been really powerful", says Gabriel Danielsson.

They appreciated the reception they received at JTH from staff, students and others.

"It's nice that they pay attention to us and that we get to show and tell what we have done. It is also a way to inspire the next team, to show that it is possible to do well in the competition and that it is a fun experience," says Nils Persson.

"Passion and innovation go a long way"

Magnus Andersson is together with Dag Raudberget course teachers for the Solar Car Project, which is given as four courses at JTH. He is very pleased with this year's team and their results in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

"We managed to get the group together so that everyone pulled in the same direction and performed very well. It is not always those with the biggest budget who do best in this competition, but passion and innovation go a long way. 3.5 hours behind the winner may sound like a lot, but at 302 miles it is not. We are getting closer to the big universities in the competition and I think we will be able to take a much better position in the future," says Magnus Andersson.

He describes the solar car project as a real adventure, where students come into contact with many companies and improve their chances of getting a job.

"If you like to test yourself and see what you can do together with others, I definitely think you should apply for JU Solar Team", says Magnus.

Read more about JU Solar Team here External link, opens in new window.