Indian Summer

Solar car team DJS Helios have had a meteoric rise to success. Last year (2017) they took part in their first ever competition – Electric Solar Vehicle Challenge 17  …so far this year they have won both competitions they entered!

Their vehicle is powered by a 2kW motor and can reach speeds of over 55kmh. Very impressive – yet winning the competition demands more than just a great turn of speed. Entrants have to demonstrate their vehicle performing a number of demanding tasks …and also show how they have developed design and commercial skills, as a team:

• Brake and acceleration – accelerate for 50m, then stop within 5m.
• Cross pad test – negotiate a slalom course, keeping in lane, against the clock.
• Hill Climb – inclined road, fastest to the top.
• Solar Only – disconnect the battery, then complete 50m powered by the sun.
• Endurance – how far can you travel in 90 minutes?
• Design and Innovation – each car is evaluated on its merits
• Business Plan – Is the vehicle commercially viable?
• Weight test – lightest vehicle gets maximum points…

Winning three categories (Acceleration, Hill Climb, Business Plan) – DJS Helios came second in all other categories, with a third place in Design. Their consistently high-achievement easily won the competition for them – outstripping the runner-up by 150 points.

The second competition Indo-Asian Challenge 18 runs – not on a course, but on actual roads.  In this event the team came either first or second in five categories. A major highlight of the event was the team’s ability to travel 94km in 2 hours. Great!

On behalf of the team, Pranay Shah, who is their Captain wishes to thank Victron for our sponsorship – and, using his entrepreneurial skills, has gone to some length to promote Victron Energy as a brand – thank you Pranay! We wish you and your team continued success.

You can follow the team as they trail-blaze future events on their Facebook page.