Solar car crossed the finish line

After 3000 km through Australia's desert, the MDH Solar Car, sponsored by Sandvik, crossed the finish line as no five in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. "We are extremely pleased that we reached our goal with our car," said Evelina Edström, one of the students in the team.

Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is a competition for student-built electric vehicles, fueled solely by solar power, in a 3,000 km long race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. This year, the MDH Solar Car was participating, designed by future engineers the Mälardalen University in Sweden. Sandvik is one of the sponsors of the project, featuring Kanthal® and Osprey™ products, which are used in the manufacturing of parts. On October 14, MDH Solar Car finished the race as no 5 out of 23 vehicles in its class.

Evelina Edström

During the six days of the race, the team was involved in both extreme heat and drizzle. At most, the thermometer reached 44 degrees and the MDH Solar Team is pleased with the result.

"We did the best of the situation and we are happy with the result. It was tougher than expected and problem solving on the spot was really put to the test. But we have met new friends at other universities and gained a lot of experience that we will bring with us the rest of our lives, says Evelina Edström.

The purpose of the competition is to inspire young people, to raise awareness of environmentally sound energy sources and to promote knowledge about energy conservation. Participating teams are made up of students from top universities across the world, such as Cambridge in the UK and Stanford in the US.