Testing wiring inside the solar array
to ensure reliability of the solar
panel connections




securing electrical connections to
prevent vibration damage

Car Overview

RAA Kelly is a sleek two-seater solar sports car capable of reaching speeds up to 110 km/h. It can cross Australia solely on power generated from sunlight, whereas each of the conventional support cars following RAA Kelly use hunderds of dollars worth of petrol for the trip.

Car Specifications

Size	(LxWxH) 6m x 2m x 0.9m
Mass	290 Kg
Array Power	1100 W
Motor Power	2500 W
Top Speed	110 Km/h
Solar cells	Modified BP Saturn
Array tracking	27 eLabtronics Optimisers
Batteries	Worley Parsons Lithium-Polymer 3.7v – 54Ah
Wheel motor	NGM-SC-M150-08, 3 Phase DC Axial Flux, Brushless, Permanent Magnet
Motor controller	Tritium Ultra High Efficiency
Body	Carbon Fibre on Nomex Honeycomb
Brakes	Balanced Hydraulic, lightweight

The process of how the solar
car works

How the Solar Car Works

This diagram gives a general idea how energy flows in a solar car. The sunlight hits the cells of the solar array, which produces an electrical current. The energy (current) can travel to the batteries for storage, go directly to the motor controller, or a combination of both. The energy sent to the controller is used to power the motor that turns the wheel and makes the car move.

Generally, if the car is in motion, the converted sunlight is delivered directly to the motor controller, but there are times when there is more energy coming from the array than the motor controller needs. When this happens, the extra energy gets stored in the batteries for later use.

When the solar array can't produce enough energy to drive the motor at the desired speed, the array's energy is supplemented with stored energy from the batteries. Of course, when the car is not in motion, all the energy from the solar array is stored in the batteries.