You’ve likely seen people working on this futuristic vehicle on your walk down the main walkway towards Anzac parade, but have you ever wondered, what exactly happens in that garage?
Gamamari spoke to the team principal Richard Hopkins and the students involved to introduce you to SUNSWIFT Racing – UNSW’s very own team of innovators working to redefine the future of sustainable transport through the research and development of world class prototype electric cars.
Sunswift Racing Team Principal Richard Hopkins
SUNSWIFT was founded in 1996 to push the boundaries of sustainable innovation in the automotive industry. Over the past three decades, the team has built seven vehicles, each redefining the future of electric cars.
“The goal of SUNSWIFT is to be brilliant in every aspect,” said team principal Richard Hopkins, who in the past has won F1 Championships as Chief of Operations at Red Bull.
The team has seen some incredible successes, from winning the 3000 km Darwin-Adelaide race in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in 2023, to setting the Guiness World Record for the fastest electric vehicle over 1000 km on a single charge. But according to Professor Hopkins, the greatest achievement has been watching hundreds of students grow and develop confidence in their skills.
“You just have ultimate days of feeling like a proud dad over and over again seeing what students are ultimately able to achieve. We create amazing future leaders, and everything else we achieve is a direct consequence of that,” he said.
Photography credits: Sophie Brown
SUNSWIFT operates as a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) under the ChallENG Program, allowing undergraduate and postgraduate students to take on world-changing research as part of their university curriculum. Engineering students can take on VIPs as an elective, but the program is also open to other faculties as a General Education course, running across three consecutive terms.
Students work primarily within their chosen technical discipline under the guidance of a lead academic. Their work gets assessed through that technical lens, making it a highly tailored educational environment.
“Every contribution students make that’s relevant to SUNSWIFT is assessable. At the end of the year, you get 6 UoC and a mark, it’s an incredibly enriching and practical learning experience.”
At the same time, departments like energy systems allow students from different technical disciplines to work alongside one another, subliminally developing their skills across the entire engineering spectrum, and preparing them for a dynamic, inter-disciplinary working environment after graduation.
Martina Antonia Casagrande studies a Bachelor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and works as the Department Lead for Interior at SUNSWIFT. For her, the project was a key draw in choosing to apply to UNSW.
“I’ve been able to develop both my leadership and technical skills. In my role I have a lot of creative freedom, and I’ve been able to explore my design skills,” she said.
In a male-dominated industry, Martina also praises SUNSWIFT’s inclusive environment and buddy system, helping new engineers of all genders and walks of life feel supported and excited to come to the workshop.
Diresh Roshandeivendra, Bachelor of Computer Engineering student, is SUNSWIFT’s Team Manager.
“We’re all about innovation and technology, but also about education and collaboration. There are so many leadership and interpersonal skills I learned here which I wouldn’t have learned just in my degree,” he said.
He urges everyone interested to get involved.
“We’re always looking for good people. Recently, we’ve been trying to grow through engaging more business and media students, so I definitely encourage anyone interested to apply.”
“Come down to the workshop if you’re curious! We’re always happy to chat to you,” said Martina.
Photography credits: Jeremy Tan
In just over a month, the team is heading back on the road to defend their title in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
For Martina, this year is doubly special, as she’ll be behind the wheel.
“It’s so exciting to get to drive a car you helped design.”
“We’re really proud of everything we do here, and hopefully the greater UNSW community can also be very proud,” said Diresh.
However, with the WSC technical regulations falling behind the wide-ranging opportunities for innovation, the team is moving into a new era.
“We want to lead the charge, we want to stay ahead of the curve,” said Professor Hopkins.
SUNSWIFT has already contributed to incredible technological advancements, partnering with telecommunications giant Ericsson to develop a mesh movable Wi-Fi network, which allows the drivers and support vehicles to stay connected in the middle of the Australian outback.
“The technology we developed together is being used in Australia and globally, including by the State Emergency Service, allowing firefighters to stay connected when fighting rural wildfires.”
Professor Hopkins is also the founder of a sister initiative, P-ONE Technology, aiming to commercialise the technologies developed in SUNSWIFT racing, and broaden the worldwide adoption of cutting-edge sustainable developments.
Now, their sights are set on an entirely new technology.
“SUNSWIFT 8 will be the world’s first tri-brid – a combination of solar, battery, and hydrogen fuel-cell technology. It’s going to be road legal.”
The team hopes to finish the car by next year, to show it off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Looking even further into the future, SUNSWIFT has the potential to join the World Endurance Championship in the brand new hydrogen class at the 24 hours of Le Mans.
“There’s a lot of challenges ahead of us, but there’s no limit to what we can do.”
The new Sunswift 7, ready for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025
Photography Credits: Jack Wilson