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Eclipse VII – 2011

Upon their return from the Global Green Challenge 2009, the members of Eclipse had only one idea in mind 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_: participate in the World Solar Challenge 2011_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136_bad5cf58d with a better vehicle. So they got their hands dirty and created a new generation of the solar car: Éclipse 7.

La voiture Éclipse 7 comportait trois roues et atteignait une vitesse de pointe de 107 km/h. It was made of vacuum molded carbon fiber. Its in-wheel motor, located behind the driver, was a team manufacture, a brushless, three-phase AC synchronous motor with Csiro magnets. It was connected to a Tritium motor controller and was powered by 40 kg of LiFePo4 batteries which offered a maximum discharge current of 420 amps. Afin de recharger la batterie, Éclipse 7 comptait sur 403 cellules solaires faites de silicium et construites par la compagnie_cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_Sunpower.

From mechanical point of view, the car had everything to compete with the great solar car teams of the world: un increased aerodynamics,_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad_cf578d_un 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_système de suspensions indépendantes aux trois roues, des pneus Michelin conçus spécialement pour_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_solar cars and un rack and pinion steering system.

Eclipse 7 was a very good car.  That said, its weight (too heavy at 285 kg) meant that it could hardly compete with the top teams. In addition, the extreme weather conditions (intense fires and winds) came as quite a surprise to the team. As a result, at the 2011 World Solar Challenge competition in Australia, the team finished  27th out of a total of 35 teams.

Despite the disappointment, the experience acquired in the field and the discussions and exchanges held  with candidates from other countries meant that the members of the team came back with a wealth of knowledge of the most interesting. It was enough for the wheel to turn and the team to tackle Eclipse 8.

Highlights:

  • 27th at the World Solar Challenge in Australia

  • Top speed: 107 km/h

  • Vacuum-molded carbon fiber shell

  • Csiro 3-Phase AC Synchronous Brushless Wheel Motor

  • 40 kg of LiFePo4 batteries (5000 W*h)

  • 403 solar cells

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