The team made up of students, alumni and academics of the University of La Serena, who work year after year on this project together with Minera Los Pelambres, received the invitation to be part of this important international competition.

On Saturday, February 3, one of the most important motorsport competitions in the world, Formula E, was held for the first time in Chile, a category organized by the International Automobile Federation that is distinguished by the use of vehicles powered by electric energy instead of fossil fuels.

Among the main objectives that this category of motorsport seeks to achieve is to promote the use of conventional and non-conventional renewable energies, demonstrating the power that can be achieved with the use of these energies and, in addition, promoting care for the environment. .

This is why the solar car team from the University of La Serena and Minera Los Pelambres, Intikallpa 4, was invited to be part of this international competition, where they were able to showcase to the national and international public the important work they have been doing for years. years, even representing Chile in international competitions, such as the solar car world championship held in Australia, where it took tenth place.

For Leonardo Saguas, an academic at the University of La Serena and a member of the Intikallpa team, this has been important work that was carried out a few years ago to achieve the achievements they have obtained. “We have been working on it for several years, it is more than the four versions we have, there are previous works, each with its own challenges and drawbacks, which has meant a development for the knowledge that is being generated at the level of materials, the use of non-conventional renewable energies, which is very important for the University and obviously all this work has meant that many people have become interested in the development of new technologies and the use that can be given by people in their daily lives” , he pointed.

In addition, he referred to the importance for the team of being invited to take part in competitions of this magnitude, where they can show all the work they have done. “We are very proud to be in this situation. The first time that a competition of this magnitude has come to Chile and we were immediately invited by the organization, it means that the achievements obtained by the solar car are recognized both in national and international competitions, especially what happened in the last version of 2017 in Australia".

One of the visits to the stand of the solar car of the University of La Serena and where it was possible to talk about the different experiences that achieving all these achievements has meant for the team, was that of the Minister of Energy, Andrés Rebolledo, who highlighted the important work done in the region. "The truth is that this solar car is a good reflection of what has been happening in our country in recent years, in relation to its energy matrix and also, in this case, in an association between the University of La Serena and a company of the mining sector. This seems to us that, in addition, in a sports context, where we can stand out globally in international competitions and we can show what has been happening in our country, where solar energy has been the protagonist of the change in the energy matrix ”, he assured.

He also added the vision he has regarding the importance that the work carried out together between different entities can have. “I think that in energy and in many areas, the possibility of working and having a common vision between the government, universities and private companies, in this case in a very specific project that allows us to make visible this change and the use of energy solar car in Chile, even beyond our borders, I think it is very remarkable and it only remains to congratulate the entire team of this vehicle and hope that they continue to represent us as well as they have already done in the following editions of the solar car world championship ”, he indicated.

In addition to being exhibited in the e-village sector of the international competition, the Intikallpa solar car made a tour on the same track where the Formula E race was held, being the first vehicle to lap this track, which meant great pride for the team members.