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Jonas, Solar Race pilot: "Fortunately, there are a lot of openings, so the wind can get into the cockpit".

12/10/2023

Translation: machine translated

The World Solar Challenge 2023 kicks off in a few days' time, with a Swiss team at the start. Jonas Rudin, among others, will be at the wheel of ETH Zurich's solar racing car. Here's my interview with him.

Early afternoon in Zurich, late evening in Darwin, Australia. The time of the interview needs to take into account different time zones. Jonas and I arranged a video call on WhatsApp. (For some strange reason, my boss didn't approve the business trip to Australia...)

Jonas, good evening in Australia! Have you acclimatised yet?
**Jonas: I've only been here two days. It's very hot, over 30 degrees, and stifling. But it's going to be fine.

How are the rest of the team, who have been on site for longer?
**Jonas: ** they're working hard to get the car ready for the race. The start is scheduled for 22 October and we can already tell that there isn't much time left.

What's left to do? The last time we saw each other, the car was ready...
**Jonas: ** being ready to drive and in shape for a 3,000-kilometre race across Australia are two different things. So far, we've only done about 200 kilometres on site. And we've discovered one or two things that could be improved.

What is the most important theme?
**Jonas: ** it's definitely our solar roof. We're still not happy with the opening and closing mechanism. We've noticed that this is a critical point. A Dutch team recently lost their entire roof during a test drive. It had to be repaired as if it were an emergency operation. Of course, we want to avoid such a situation.

Testing in the Australian sun: the ETHZ team on the Hidden Valley race track in Darwin.
Source: Alpha Centauri Racing

Talking about other teams. Are we keeping tabs on each other and is there any competition?
**Jonas: On the contrary, there's really no rivalry or even spying. We exchange experiences with other students about their ideas and solutions to certain tasks. We learn a lot from each other. The competitive spirit is perhaps stronger in the teams that have played each other more often. We're just happy to be here.

About your role as driver, how do you prepare?
**Jonas: I'm one of the team's four drivers. Up until the start of the race, the aim for each of us is to accumulate as many test kilometres as possible in the car. In this way, we get to know the car and practise communicating with the team by radio.

And you also have to deal with the heat as the Australian sun beats down on the Plexiglas cockpit, don't you?
**Jonas: Yes, that too. But as long as we're driving, it's bearable. We probably have more gaps than the bodybuilders would like. But it's precisely through these gaps that the air circulates and cools down a little. On the other hand, when we're stationary, we have to get out of the car quickly. Someone has to open the roof very quickly, otherwise it's like baking in an oven.

A photo taken in August. At the time, Jonas was still under the Dübendorf sun.
Source: Martin Jungfer

How long will you be riding during the race?
**Jonas: ** we have planned that, out of the four drivers, three will be in action each day. The races take place every day from 8am to 5pm. We divide the time into shifts, so that each driver can drive for a maximum of three hours at a time. After a while, you lose concentration too. Not to mention the potty breaks and technical checks that both driver and car need.

Australia also has some dangerous animals. Doesn't the idea of encountering strange creatures frighten you?
**Jonas: ** It's true. There are more deadly animals in Australia than anywhere else in the world. We've already found giant insects in the cockpit in the morning before testing. During the race, in the morning, I'll use the torch to check the darkest corners. There are certainly places in the car where snakes could take refuge. And we don't want any as passengers.

I wish you luck with your snake search. And for the race.

Before the start of the race on October 22, we will again be publishing an article about the team and the state of preparation. Those interested in finding out more about Alpha-Centauri-Solar-Racing can consult previous articles here or here. If you'd like to support the team financially, you can do so via the crowdfunding campaign. In addition, the team regularly shares interesting information on Instagram.

Headline photo: Alpha Centauri Racing

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Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.

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