The Belgian Solar Team is using an inertial GNSS receiver to optimize their energy model, winning the 2024 race in South Africa
The Sasol Solar Challenge 2024 took place in September in South Africa, showcasing solar-powered vehicles in a grueling 2,500-kilometer 8-day race from Johannesburg to Cape Town. The Innoptus Solar Team from Belgium claimed victory of this endurance event, setting new daily distance records during the race.
Since they won the World Solar Challenge in 2023 in Australia, the Innoptus Solar Team has pushed the limits of their solar race car even further. Their recent updates include improvements in aerodynamics, weight, energy efficiency as well as addition of a GNSS/INS receiver which provides real-time position, attitude and acceleration to the control system. These parameters are used to optimize and monitor the energy input and output of the car. For example, the slope that the car is driving on, significantly effects the energy consumption. This slope measurement can be used to figure out the expected energy consumption, which is then compared to the actual energy consumption. This way the overall condition of the car is continuously monitored. Similarly, the orientation of the solar panel is used to determine the expected energy production.