Phl’s Sikat II to join world solar-powered car race

MANILA, Philippines - Modified for better performance, Sikat II, a solar-powered car that will be the Philippines’ official entry to the 2013 World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia, was formally unveiled to the public yesterday.

The car is a product of the Philippine Solar Car Project of the De La Salle University (DLSU) and the Sikat Solar Challenge Foundation Inc. (SSCFI), with support from other groups such as Lopez-controlled First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH) and its subsidiaries First Gen Corp. (First Gen) and Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

Sikat II is set to compete in the WSC’s grueling 3,000-kilometer race among solar cars from all over the world, across the Australian outback from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Adelaide in South Australia from Oct. 6 to 13. 

This year, Team Solar Philippines, a group of 50 mechanical and electrical engineering students and six faculty members from DLSU, modified and made improvements to the 2011 Sikat II car.

The modifications took seven months to complete and the car had a series of test runs at Basa Airbase, Pampanga and at SCTEX from April to June this year.

The result was better performance and higher reliability, and the car was able to run with higher speeds at lower power consumption.

With a race ready car, the team decided to join the 2013 WSC adventure class with the objective of landing in the Top 3.  

By the third week of September, the 14-man race team will depart for Darwin.

DLSU is the first academic institution in the country to accept the challenge of the Australian race.

Considered the Super Bowl of solar car racing in the world, the WSC has evolved into a biennial race to showcase the development of advanced automotive technology and promote alternatives to conventional vehicle engines.

As of Aug. 15, the WSC website listed entries from 23 countries, including Sikat II.