During 2020, the Western Sydney Solar Team was hard at work designing Unlimited 4.0 from the ground up to compete in the 2021 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC). The BWSC was cancelled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To test new design and fabrication techniques the team decided to proceed with building a half scale version of Unlimited 4.0. To continue our mission of outreach the team decided to run an online expo during the height of COVID, and the team committed to a Regional NSW Roadshow to promote sustainable mobility.
The 10 weeks leading up to the roadshow was an intense, collaborative and rewarding experience. It brought together the team, partners, external advisors and university staff to plan out every detail of the week-long journey.It involved liaising with various schools and councils, partaking in events and most importantly, securing an unregistered Vehicle Permit to get Unlimited 2.0 on the road. This plan would hopefully stimulate sustainability focused conversation in NSW’s regional communities and inspire a new generation of thinkers to come up with innovative solutions.
Western Sydney Solar Team would like to thank all of our partners, including the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club for hosting the concluding event at the Sydney Motorsport Park. The team would also like to thank Abergeldie specifically for their outstanding support through the pandemic. Finally, we are excited to announce that with Abergeldie’s support, the team will be planning biennial roadshows to further support and encourage the next generation of thinkers!
To begin the adventure, the team set off from Kingswood in the morning, headed for the HARS Aviation Museum in Albion Park, over 120km from the workshop. Unlimited 2.0 and its convoy drove on some of NSW’s busiest roads. The team were met at HARS by the wonderful staff and WIN News and enjoyed a wonderful few hours admiring the engineering that went into some of history’s most famous aircraft.
Next stop for Unlimited 2.0 was the Wakefield Park Raceway. Due to the poor weather conditions the car didn’t drive to the Race track. But once it got there, the team had the track to themselves and pushed Unlimited 2.0 to its limits!
Day 2 started early at the Goulburn Showground. Unlimited 2.0 set off at 8am to get to Bathurst by midday for an event at the National Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama. Unfortunately, the rain cancelled Unlimited 2.0’s planned lap of the circuit. However, the convoy (including Unlimited 2.0’s trailer) was able to complete a lap. The team stayed the night at the Telegraph Hotel in Molong to take shelter from the harsh weather.
Day 3 was another early start with another 120km drive from Molong to Dubbo College Senior Campus. The team met a lot of students, teachers and members of the public for the Dubbo Careers Day. An armful of plush zoo animals also made an appearance as well as a small run in with the Rural NSW Police Force! At the end of the day, the team set off for Jerry Plains and set up camp for the night; meeting fellow campers and telling them about the team and the project.
The team travelled to Tocal for one of the biggest agricultural shows in NSW, the Tocal Field Days. This was one of the most rewarding days of the Roadshow. Thankfully, the sun was shining and everyone got to see Unlimited 2.0 in all of its beauty. Some members left the show with a helicopter ride crossed off their bucket list, others walked away with brand new Akubras and plenty of gifts to take back to their families. We finished the day off with a small trip to our campsite in Maitland, looking forward to heading back home in the morning.
The sun was shining bright on day 5 of the roadshow and the team was looking forward to a picturesque drive back to Sydney. Stopping at the Sydney Motorsport Park, the team was greeted by their close friends and family. After catching up with their loved ones, the team returned back to the workshop. With Unlimited 2.0 back on display outside the workshop, the first Regional NSW Roadshow came to a close.
