This coming October, the “PowerCore SunCruiser” will be taking part in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. The solar-powered car is the first of a new generation featuring materials from ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel. Experts from the Bochum University of Applied Sciences and specialists from ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel spent months working on the motor of the new vehicle.
The four-wheel, three-seater vehicle is a functional car. While the first solar-powered cars were extremely low profile, with large surfaces for the solar panels, only three wheels and generally only enough room for a driver, the latest generation is more like a normal car, even featuring a trunk.
For the first time, the motor is made with material from ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel –a special soft magnetic steel used mainly in motors for efficient power transmission. ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of this material for high-efficiency electric motors. Hub motors are installed in each of the solar car’s front wheels and transmit power directly to the tires, eliminating large transmission losses. “The use of electrical steel here is a revolutionary step,” says Mr Stefan Spychalski, who has been working on the solar car project at Bochum University of Applied Sciences for over ten years.
