SolarCar from Bochum University of Applied Sciences Wins Second Place in World Solar Challenge With High-performance Voltabox Battery

- High-performance battery provides 600 km range without solar cells

- Bochum University of Applied Sciences' cutting-edge electric vehicle takes second place at the World Solar Challenge

- 3,000 km race in Australia

- Achieved fastest lap in qualifying round at the Hidden Valley race track in Australia

Delbrück, December 6, 2017 - At this year's World Solar Challenge for solar-powered electric vehicles in Australia, the team from Bochum University of Applied Sciences came in at an excellent second place. Voltabox was on board with a specially developed high-performance battery.

Sixty students are currently involved in the SolarCar project, which was set up in Bochum in 2001 to design and manufacture solar-powered electric vehicles. Voltabox AG has been supporting the student-led team at Bochum University of Applied Sciences for several years. From January 2016 to July 2017, the university's seventh SolarCar was developed and manufactured under the direction of Prof. Friedbert Pautzke. The development of this vehicle placed particularly high demands on design, innovation and especially efficiency.

Throughout the entire development period, Voltabox AG provided important support in several areas, such as materials management and production engineering, as an expert partner.

"For us, our close cooperation with Bochum University of Applied Sciences in this area represents a valuable link between current research, innovative development methods and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology in battery systems," says Jürgen Pampel, CEO of Voltabox AG. "We would like to congratulate the whole team on this impressive success."

The traction battery specially developed for this vehicle shows what kind of gravimetric energy densities are possible today. With an energy content of 16.5 kWh, the battery system including high-voltage electronics weighs just 96 kg. The range of the vehicle is 600 km without using the solar cells. Since the vehicle has been accepted by DEKRA and is street legal, it can be used without restrictions with a normal license plate number on public roads.

With the Voltabox high-performance battery and its efficiently developed and manufactured vehicle, the Bochum team was able to rise to the challenge and take home second place - despite going up against strong global competition this year. Bochum's SolarCar even recorded the fastest lap during qualifying on the Hidden Valley race track and secured pole position. The main challenge of the race was to cover a 3,000 km distance from Darwin to Adelaide within a given time. All in all, the students, professors and sponsors were very pleased with the team's outstanding success in winning second place.

About Voltabox AG

Voltabox is a rapidly growing system provider for e-mobility in industrial applications. Its core business lies in intrinsically safe, highly developed high-performance lithium-ion batteries that are modular and in serial production. The battery systems are used in buses for public transportation, forklifts, automated guided vehicles and mining vehicles. The company also develops and produces high-quality lithium-ion batteries for select mass-market applications, such as high-performance motorcycles. Voltabox has production sites at its headquarters in Delbrück, Germany, and in Austin, Texas, as well as a development site in Aachen, Germany. Additional information about Voltabox can be found at www.voltabox.ag.

Contact

Voltabox AG

Dr. Kai Holtmann
Artegastrasse 1
33129 Delbrück, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 52 50 - 99 30-964
Fax: +49 (0) 52 50 - 99 30-901
Email: kai.holtmann@voltabox.ag

Image1:
SolarCar during qualifying

/

Image2:
SolarCar racing along the roughly 3,000 km long route from Darwin to Adelaide

/