BME Solar Boat Team: Origami to reality

Many good ideas often start with just a handful of people and a few bits of paper. And so it is with the BME Solar Boat Team, who hail from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (officially abbreviated as BME) in Hungary. Whilst BME was originally founded in 1782, the BME Solar Boat Team started life in 2014 – with just an origami boat and 3 people.

Now there is a team of 28, made up of students from: Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering plus Economic and Social Sciences. For operational ease and clarity the BME Solar Boat Team is divided into three distinct areas of operation: Design, Electronics and Marketing.

The team’s goal is to participate in the Dutch Solar Challenge World Cup and the Solar 1 Monte Carlo Cup.

Rendering to reality

From the original CAD renderings the carbon composite hull progresses toward reality – as the image sequence below shows.

Speaking to the BME Solar Boat Team about their progress to date, they said:

“It has been a delightful experience for us to handcraft the hull which is the culmination of more than a year of engineering work. We have also received some of the electric drive components plus other equipment which always gives us motivation to progress.

One of the brightest moments recently has been the start of our cooperation with Victron Energy who have supplied and sponsored us with their highly efficient MPPTs plus control and monitoring systems – these being important core components for our electronic systems.

We were also delighted to have the opportunity to meet Victron Energy, when our team leaders visited the Victron stand at Boot Düsseldorf.”

Conclusion

It might have started as an origami boat team logo yet it always good to see ideas come to fruition – especially when they come from the graduates of tomorrow. Who knows what innovations this professional and well organised BME Solar Boat Team will come up with as they progress towards their goals.

Victron Energy wish the BME Solar Boat Team every success in achieving their goals and look forward to further progress reports.

Thanks to Leo Yntema for the heads up on this project. Leo is the Victron Energy Sales Manager for Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Luxembourg.

John Rushworth