Design of Qatar University's first solar car for Shell Eco-marathon competition

Research and development in the area of renewable energy is growing fast, supported by the increasing awareness about sustainability, environment and limitation of conventional sources of energy. Interestingly, oil and gas companies are realizing the potential of renewable energy, and have been supporting events and competitions that aim precisely at developing technologies and expertise for this field. Shell is one of these companies; it has been organizing the yearly Shell Eco-marathon competition in three continents for decades now. Qatar University's students have participated in the latest edition of the race in the solar car category, held in Germany in May 2011. The team was made up of electrical and mechanical engineering students form the both departments. In this first participation, the aim was to design the first prototype of energy efficient solar and GTL cars to be starter point for a regular participation in future races. This paper discusses all the designing steps, components selection, measurements, calculations and manufacturing process that led to the first prototype of the solar car. A brief is given about the lessons learnt from the first participation and about the plans for the next participation in Shell Eco-marathon Asia in Malaysia in July 2012.