International. A group of highly motivated students from RWTH Aachen University and Aachen University of Applied Sciences devoted their efforts to an ambitious project: the development of a solar-powered electric car for what is probably the world's toughest solar car race, Solar Challenge 2017, from October 8 to 15 in Australia.
To make their idea a reality, the approximately 45 young researchers established the association "Sonnenwagen Aachen e.V.", with the support of their teachers.
Covestro wants to join forces with them to push existing boundaries and make the project a success. The company has cultivated a long-term partnership with the university and is supporting the Sonnenwagen project ("solar car" in German) as a material and technical service provider and gold sponsor. The two partners recently signed a cooperation agreement for the project.
Covestro wants to take advantage of Sonnenwagen's project to test various materials under the harsh weather conditions that prevail along the race route: temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius, high UV radiation and high air dust content are typical in October.
The most important application of the product is a three-layer polyurethane layer of PPG. The coating is particularly suitable for application on body parts made of carbon fiber composites.
Weather conditions have a significant impact on the top transparent layer. It is formulated with Covestro's Desmodur eco N 7300 biological hardener, whose 70% of the carbon content comes from biomass.
The Sonnenwagen also incorporates polyurethane and polycarbonate materials from Covestro, which contribute to the lightweight and aerodynamic design of the solar car.
