Melotte has contributed to creating a new solar car for the Agoria Solar Team. This team consists of 20 engineering students from the KU Leuven University who are looking to build the most efficient solar car. With that solar car, they are aiming to participate in a number of international races, in which they will be competing against other university teams from around the world. The races typically cover a route of several thousand kilometers. The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is a good example: teams race a distance of 3,000 km through the Australian Outback, from Darwin (in the north) to Adelaide (in the south).

A new solar car is built every two years. It is a huge challenge as the teams need to find the right balance between aerodynamics, reliability, and vehicle dynamics. To achieve these goals and meet all the different needs, several parts are developed, each of which is totally unique in itself. Obviously, some of these parts are extremely complex in nature and must be built by precision manufacturing experts, such as Melotte. For instance: a suspension bracket that deviates from a critical size by one-tenth of a millimeter will inevitably cause a loss of energy and hence, result in a slower car.

For these critical parts, the Agoria Solar Team relies on the expertise of Melotte. In this connection, Melotte uses our technical knowledge in 5-axis mills to deliver complex parts with extreme precision. With the help of our expertise in precision manufacturing, the Agoria Solar Team hopes that the 9th Belgian Solar Car will retain its world title!