The victory of Team Sinag at the World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia is a triumph of homegrown Filipino talent.
De La Salle University (DLSU) students who built Sinag, the country’s first solar-powered vehicle, take pride on how they and their professors made history when their invention finished 11th in a field of 41 after a weeklong race covering 3,000 kilometers.
The vehicle, from its sleek monocoque shell to its dynamically adaptive electrical system, is proudly Philippine made.
Its unique back-contact mono-crystalline solar cells, which are among the most efficient commercial solar cells in the world, were made in Laguna.
Team Sinag said the vehicle was designed and built from scratch in a record time of less than a year by students from DLSU-Manila, with the support of Ford Group Philippines, Motolite, Philippine Airlines, and San Miguel Corp.
Pilipinas Shell, SunPower, U-Freight, and Ventus, Aurora, Cabrera Lavadia and Associates, JWT, CreAsia, Merritt Partners, Tuason Racing School, Gochermann Solar Technology, and Stratworks also supported the project.
A total of 41 teams from around the world competed in the WSC’s various classes, with the Philippine team reaching the finish line in Adelaide at around 4 p.m. Saturday.
“The Philippine flag has reached Adelaide!” proclaimed Sinag technical head engineer Rene Fernandez as the car crossed the finish line where it was greeted by a small crowd of Filipino well-wishers.
“A dream come true. This is a very remarkable success for us, especially as first-timers, because we were able to beat almost a dozen other more experienced teams from other countries. It’s positive proof of not only the car’s solid design and construction, but also our own capability to successfully deploy solar power technology in the Philippines,” Fernandez said.
“All the months of hard work and preparation really paid off. We managed to do more and go farther than any of us thought possible,” said Eric Tan, Sinag’s lead driver.
The all-Filipino Team Sinag was warmly welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Adelaide Michael Harbison and by Hans Tholstrup, founder of the WSC and the first person to cross Australia in a solar car.
Winners of this year’s WSC were honored at an awarding ceremony held yesterday at Adelaide’s Victoria Square. The Nuon Solar Team from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands won first place. Umicore of Belgium won second place, and Australia’s own Aurora Challenge placed third.
Philippine Solar Car Challenge Society chairman Vince Perez said the team achieved its first triumph when their vehicle Sinag passed the strict qualifying events to compete in the Challenge Class of the race.
The country’s first ever solar-powered car performed exceptionally well from the moment it left the starting line in Darwin on Oct. 21.
Needing only minor adjustments in its brake system, the Philippine solar car quickly jumped to 11th place overall. The team maintained this position and made excellent time, passing the halfway mark at Alice Springs on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and breaching the 2,000-km mark at Cadney Homestead the following day.
By the evening of Friday, Oct. 26, the team had already made its way to Glendambo, the second to the last stop, less than 500 km from the finish line and made it in high spirits to Adelaide on Saturday.