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Introducing our engineers: part 1

Writer's picture: JU Solar TeamJU Solar Team

Updated: Aug 15, 2023

To celebrate the ongoing countdown to both the departure of Axelight and the start of Bridgestone World Solar Challenge we thought it would be a great time to start introducing the team. First out is two of our mechanical engineers who's main responsibility has been to develop, evaluate and improve our chassi; Emil Gustafsson and Adam Larsson!


Emil Gustafsson

Tell us a bit about yourself: My name is Emil Gustafsson and I am part of the mechanical team of JU Solar Team. Originally I am from Floby which is a small town about one hour west of Jönköping, but the past two years I have lived and studied here in Jönköping although I graduated from my studies in Mechanical engineering with focus on product development and design.


How long have you been part of JU Solar Team and what is your primarily roll/responsibilities? I have been part of the team for a little bit more than 1,5 years, and it has truly been a journey. Since I joined the team I have had the opportunity to work closely with different companies as well as with all the epic people JU Solar Team consists of, solar cars, and project management in general.

My responsibility in the project is chassi development and making sure all the components fit together properly and ensuring that the car can withstand outside forces in order to keep the driver safe. In order to do this I have spent a lot of time in CAD to measure and fit everything together as well as FEM programs to calculate the strength of the chassi.


What is, in your opinion, the best thing about this project? It definitely is seeing the parts of the car come together and knowing that you have contributed to building a fully functional car, which in many ways are incredibly innovative and forward-thinking. It is a special feeling to see the thing you have only seen and worked with through a screen and in animated form come to life and being able to touch it, it is a special kind of proud.


What are three things, any three things, that you would bring to Australia? The obvious thing is the chassi because it is an essential part of the car. I would also bring a survival handbook and a water filled bottle since we are going to be camping in the Australian outback for more or less a week and anything can happen.


Thank you for answering our questions, but before we let you go let’s do a quick “This or that“:

This or that?

Pineapple on pizza or no fruit on pizza?

​No fruit, although I prefer a classic kebabpizza

Do the laundry or do the dishes?

The Laundry

Hot weather or cold weather?

Hot weather

Apple or Android?

Apple

Coca-Cola or Pepsi?

Coca-Cola





Adam Larsson

Can you please tell me a bit about yourself and how long have you been part of the team?

My name is Adam Larsson, and I am a part of the mechanical team, where I am responsible for designing the chassis of the car. Originally, I am from Mariestad but currently I am living in Jönköping where I study Master of Science in Engineering: Industrial Product Realisation. I have been with the team for a year now and I am very happy that I joined!


You said that you are responsible for designing the chassis, what does that mean?

It means creating the framework or structural foundation of the car. The chassis is like the car’s skeleton, protecting driver and housing all the vital components of the car. The process of designing the chassis involves plenty of consideration and thoughtful analysis of multiple factors in order to create an optimal frame that prioritizes both safety and lightweight construction. This has resulted in me spending a lot of time in SOLIDWORKS. In addition to this I have been working with creating and administrating the master assembly of the car where we have made a lot of improvements concerning product lifecycle management.


What is the best part about being a part of JU Solar Team?

I would say that the best part is being able to put all the theoretical knowledge from school to actual practical use, as well as learning completely new things. For example, since January this year I have been teaching myself how to use Blender in order to create marketing material of the car by adding visual elements, creating scenery and rendering images and videos. By importing the 3D model from SOLIDWORKS into Blender I have been able to create a realistic model of our car Axelight with our vinyl wrap, sponsors, and other details such as the solar panels. I have plans of creating an “announcement” video of Axelight that hopefully should be done before we leave for Australia.


That seems like a lot of work! But moving on to the actual race, what are three things, any items, that you would bring to Australia?

Honestly, I would like to bring a flamethrower to defend myself from the spiders, other than that I probably need sunscreen, and music.


Last but not least, a “this or that “:

This or that?

Pineapple on pizza or no fruit on pizza?

Pineapple

Do the laundry or do the dishes?

The laundry

Hot weather or cold weather?

Hot weather

Apple or Android?

Android

Coca-Cola or Pepsi?

Pepsi (Max)


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