Between ongoing disruptions and myriad challenges posed by lockdowns and associated restrictions, the work on Sunswift 7 is nearing completion. 

The most advanced solar race car ever produced by the University off NSW’s Engineering Faculty, Sunswift 7 is the latest in a long line of vehicle developed by the Sunswift solar project, a race team within the University’s Engineering faculty that has been involved in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge since 1996.

Back in April of this year, the Audi Foundation handed over an A7 50 TDI quattro to the University of NSW Engineering Department. The car was intended as a training and educational tool for the faculty and primarily for the ongoing work of the premiere Sunswift solar project. The initial contact came about over a set of headlights – Professor of Practice at the UNSW Engineering faculty, Richard Hopkins, contacting Audi to see if it would be possible to get hold of a set of Audi RS7 headlights to use on the new race car. That initial contact morphed and developed to the point that the set of headlights became an entire A7 Sportback.

In the intervening months, the dedicated team of 45 engineering students, have been working tirelessly to see the project finished and the car ready to go on tour and be put through its paces, but the present climate is proving a challenge.

“It’s really frustrating at the moment,” says Hopkins. “We are so close to finishing the car but unable to work on it. We have probably three weeks of work max,” he says. 

So as it stands we will have to wait a little longer to see Sunswift 7 and see just how the A7 Sportback lights work in this exciting project – but the result will be well worth the wait.