Race Strategist

Do we have enough energy left in our batteries to accelerate or should we slow down in case the weather turns out worse? Is it better to keep driving with our own strategy or should we stay close to the other competitors? How much more efficient should an electromotor be if it is 4% heavier than our current electromotor? As a Race Strategist, you’ll be dealing with these kinds of questions.

During the entire year you are working for that one moment: the race. You make lots of different models for the solar car in order to be able to predict the necessary power output for the solar car in different circumstances. You take a lot of different things into account: wind speeds and directions, solar irradiance, other competitors, steep hills and the surrounding environment. During the race it is your job to calculate the optimal speed for the solar car. Whilst the rest of the Technical Team is designing the car, you support them in decisions that influence the performance of the car, like the optimal positioning of the solar cells on the car, the optimal battery pack and the specifications of the electromotor.

 After the car is built, you want to get as much information about the car as possible. As Race Strategist you are responsible for several large tests, for example testing on a large banked circuit to determine the energy consumption of the solar car at high speeds or testing the solar panel to determine its power input for different weather conditions.

Before the start of the race you are busy preparing everything for the race: strategic plans, internet coverage, different weather scenarios, the race convoy, optimal camping spots on the route and more. During the race, you are in the rear escort vehicle constantly working on different scenarios and trying to determine the optimal race strategy.

Are you a strong analytical thinker, do you have strong communication skills? Do you like analyzing data and making models? Do you perhaps even have some meteorological affinity? Then Race Strategist is the function for you! Experience with programming (C++/Java/Python/MATLAB) is a prerequisite.

Are you curious, do you have any questions, or do you just want to know more about this position? Send your question(s) tom.boulogne@solarteam.nl and we will get back to you as soon as possible!