Extreme commitment on the fifth continent: the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge covers a distance of 3,022 kilometers through the Australian outback and is considered the toughest solar car race in the world. To succeed in this battle of materials, you need a strong team, reliable cutting-edge technology and a strategy that leaves nothing to chance. A group of students from Aachen brought all this to the table and mastered the adventure with their solar car. To transport the required lithium-ion batteries safely from Germany to the start in Darwin, the designers relied on an aluminum box from Zarges. The box fully complied with the high handling requirements and all relevant dangerous goods regulations.

Exploring the potential of electromobility
Using only solar energy as fuel, once from Darwin in North Australia southwards across the country towards Adelaide - this is the race that takes place every two years. Top international universities compete here with their visionary solution concepts. Among the 42 teams taking part in the World Solar Challenge 2017 was the 40-strong student team from RWTH and FH Aachen. Their goal: to explore the potential of electromobility with technical expertise and a high level of personal commitment and bring the self-designed vehicle to the finish line. The team consisted of specialists in mechanics, electrical engineering, aerodynamics, strategy and non-technical tasks such as sponsorship and marketing. This combination and the Sonnenwagen resulted in a concept that met the strict requirements of the 60-page set of rules and withstood the adverse conditions in the Australian outback.

Reliable interplay of safety and comfort
There are highly efficient solar cells on the surface of the lightweight vehicle, which convert sunlight into energy for the drive and feed excess energy into the storage battery. In this respect, the capacity of the battery plays a decisive role in the outcome of the race. This is because it makes it possible to use the energy stored in the vehicle when needed - for example under cloud cover or during a climb. For vehicles in the Challenger racing class, to which the Aachen Sonnenwagen also belongs, the cell weight of the lithium-ion batteries installed is limited to 20 kilograms. But first, the energy storage cells had to be transported professionally the long way from Germany to Australia - no small feat, as the sensitive energy storage systems are classified as hazardous goods due to their high flammability and are subject to special regulations. Strict guidelines had to be adhered to for both shipping and storage on site.

Convenient handling of the transport containers was also required: low tare weight, good stackability and comfortable handles. Due to the potentially harmful effects of sea air and dust in the Australian desert, it was important to find a container solution that could be tightly sealed in an extreme climate. "When looking for resilient transport crates and packaging solutions, you inevitably come across Zarges," explains Martin Kolkenbrock from Team Sonnenwagen. "We were particularly impressed by their comprehensive advice, which helped us to find the perfect transport crate for us from their extensive portfolio." The choice quickly fell on the crates from the K 470 product range in various sizes and with hazardous goods approval. The explanations on the hazardous goods approval helped the Sonnenwagen team to further improve the safety concept for the transportation and storage of the battery.

Safely packed down under
The modules developed and produced by the team had to be transported to Australia by sea. They were stored in a 40-foot (approx. 12.2 meter) long overseas container, in which they were sent on their journey two months before the start of the race. To prevent the batteries from being damaged by excessively high temperatures, the container was consistently cooled to 25 degrees Celsius as a precaution. The sensitive battery modules survived the long journey in the sealed K470 crates without any problems. The Aachen-based company was assisted by a partner from Zarges with the professional packaging of the modules and the marking and fitting of the boxes with fiberglass cushions. The cushioning material is used to absorb electrolyte fluid that could have escaped in the event of damage. For safety reasons, the battery was transported disassembled and only assembled into the actual battery on site in Australia. Zarges was also able to provide an aluminum crate measuring 900 x 480 x 400 millimetres for the previously assembled energy storage unit. At the end of the mission, the team was rewarded with a remarkable success: after seven days of driving through Australia, the Aachen Sonnenwagen crossed the finish line in Adelaide.