Oct 23, 2015

Panasonic-Backed Tokai University Solar Car Team Completes 3,000km at Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2015

Adelaide, Australia - The solar car team from Japan's Tokai University, powered by Panasonic's HIT(TM)* solar modules and high capacity lithium-ion batteries, crossed the finish line in 3rd place at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2015, one of the world's largest solar car races, which began on October 18 in Australia.

This race, which was first held in 1987 and biannually since 1999, is a time-based competition covering a distance of roughly 3,000 km across the continent from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. This year's competition saw the participation of 43 university and corporate solar car teams from 25 countries and regions around the world.

The Tokai University team ranked eighth in the preliminaries held on October 17 and started from Darwin on October 18. Although many teams retired from the race due to harsh conditions, the Tokai University team, which began the race on the final day in 4th place, moved up the ranks to 3rd place after their last minute overtake during the final 50km-stretch and crossed the finish line in Adelaide around 12 pm on October 22 (Australian Central Standard Time).

Kota Fukuda, an associate professor at Tokai University and the team's manager, commented, "We wanted to win the race, so we're disappointed with the results. But despite the many problems we faced during the race, we were able to moved up to 3rd place just before the finish line thanks to the high performance of Panasonic's solar module HIT(TM) and lithium-ion batteries, and the student's teamwork. We will continue to study the latest technologies and methods to enhance our racecar's performance.

Panasonic has supported the Tokai University Solar Car Team since 2011 by supplying its HIT(TM) solar modules boasting the industry's top class power output and high capacity lithium-ion batteries.

The World Solar Challenge 2015 will finish on October 24, and the award ceremony will be held in Adelaide on October 25.

* "HIT" is a trademark of Panasonic Group.