The year 2023 marks the tenth year that Jönköping University participates in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge [BWSC] and nothing would have been possible without the passionate people who still drive the project forward year after year. Since 2012, five different teams of students have each built a solar car, taken it to the other side of the world and competed for first place.
In the early 2000s, Magnus Andersson, one of the founders of the JU Solar Project, began to dream of one day participating in the competition and together with Dag Raudberget began planning how the dream would become a reality. In 2010 they visited the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, their team is today known as the Brunel Solar Team, where they took inspiration from their car. The following year, Dag and Magnus went to Australia to see with their own eyes the BWSC, which is held every two years, then the dream became reality. In 2012, Jönköping University's first ever Solar Team, JU Solar Team 13, was formed.
The first solar car built at JU, the Magic
JUST13 faced the big challenge that their car would be the first to be built at JU and thus had no previous experience to rely on. Through hard work and dedication from students as well as teachers, the car was on the starting line a year later. Dubbed the Magic, the car was groundbreaking with its small margins and its shape in relation to aerodynamics. After the start, Magic competed for a long time for a top position but due to the light weight of the car it was extra sensitive to strong winds and in the final stage of the race it was blown off the road and the team had to stop the race.
After 2013, the JU Solar Team has participated three times and each time they have finished. The best placement was in 2017 with the car Solveig, which came in eighth place, and in 2019 with Axelent, which took home a tenth place. With each car there have been new guidelines to follow but through teamwork and innovation each team has produced cars that have made it through pre-start scrutiny.
From October 2015 when JUST15 finished in 15th place with the car Solbritt Due to COVID-19, BWSC 2021 was canceled but instead of abandoning the project, they set their sights on BWSC 2023. With renewed energy and a new team, work began for the 2023 competition. Currently, the entire team is working at full speed and putting heart and soul in the construction of the car that will give the best placement in the history of the JU Solar Team. If the planning holds, it will be ready at the end of March and then small adjustments remain, after which we are ready to start. Thanks to Dag and Magnus' burning interest in innovation and renewable energy, the JU Solar Team is a team to be reckoned with. Through hard work and long hours, we are one of the top 10 teams in the world and we have every intention of defending and improving that position.