The Chilean solar car achieved 7th place among 27 vehicles, being the only Latin American representative in the world championship of these technologies, in Australia.

The Antakari team and the Intikallpa V solar car from the University of La Serena (ULS) and Minera Los Pelambres, traveled 3 thousand kilometers through the Australian desert to reach an outstanding 7th place in the main Challenger category, at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2019. The vehicle had no faults throughout the competition and traveled on average at 66 kilometers per hour. 

This is the third time that the Chilean car participates in this world championship, since in 2013 Intikallpa was the first Latin American vehicle to conclude the competition, reaching 2nd place in the Adventure category. In 2017 it placed 10th in the main category of the race, after the Stanford University solar car.

Regarding the competition and good positioning of Intikallpa in the most important solar car competition in the world, the academic of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the ULS and professional in charge of the execution of the Intikallpa project, Camilo Moreno, stressed that “being par or surpass large international universities such as Michigan, Beijing Institute of Technology, Cambridge and Stanford, among others, it has been a great experience and shows that we can do it, and despite being a developing country, today we have people with the capabilities and knowledge to be at the level of other developed countries.”

“For us the most important thing was to finish the race, considering that 3 vehicles turned over in the middle of the competition. The former world champion had 200 kilometers left to travel and their car caught fire. Fortunately, the driver managed to get out in time. Being able to finish the competition without any eventuality and with the entire team safe is the most important thing and we are happy with the results obtained,” stressed Camilo Moreno.

The Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, along with highlighting this new participation of the University prototype in the competition and congratulating all those who make up the Antakari team for this important international achievement, valued the effort and dedication of its members, “who have put the name of the institution, the region and the country at the top.”

For Dr. Mauricio Godoy, Dean of the ULS Faculty of Engineering, “competing with outstanding universities in the world and with countries such as Japan, the United States, Belgium and Germany fills us with pride, we value our Intikallpa project that was born with a lot of work and effort between the University of La Serena and Minera Los Pelambres. Since its birth, it has positioned itself worldwide, which shows that we are at the forefront of solar car technologies. It is a result well deserved by all the talent, energy and perseverance of academics, collaborating professionals and especially students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, thanks to the support of the University, institutions and companies."

Unlike the predecessor vehicle (Intikallpa IV), in this new construction materials used in Formula 1 cars, fighter planes and sailboats were considered. It has a more aerodynamic design on the front, which reduces energy consumption by 15%. 

Written by María José Barraza, FIULS 2030 Project