A major new partnership will power the Illawarra’s flagship motorsport team to take on the best competition from rival Australian and international universities.
Sicona Battery Technologies – a Wollongong based, global batterymaterials manufacturing and innovation company targeting next generation lithium-ion battery performance – has announced a major sponsorship of UOW Motorsport at a special event in iAccelerate at UOW’s Innovation Campus.
The deal will see Sicona become a major sponsor and provide financial support as well as expertise from the company in helping to source and optimise the batteries which power the team’s electric vehicle.
Sicona CEO and Cofounder Christiaan Jordaan said the company was proud to form its first major Illawarra sponsorship with UOW Motorsport. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with the team from UOW Motorsport and we see this as a long-term partnership for Sicona,” Mr Jordaan said. “UOW Motorsport is an organisation which thrives on the entrepreneurial attitude and the innovation of its people. That is integral in our own company and something we are keen to identify and foster in the organisations and events we support. The timeframes have meant that the cells powering their electric vehicle won’t be produced by Sicona this year, but we see this as an ongoing relationship, and we hope to see the team totally powered by Sicona cells into the future.“
UOW Motorsport competes in the Formula SAE competition, an international event hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, (SAE). The competition requires the next generation of engineering professionals to design and build an open-wheel, formula-style race car.
The culmination of the project occurs when each team takes their car to their regional event, where teams are pitted against other local and international teams in a series of both static and dynamic events, including design, cost, acceleration, one lap sprints and endurance events on an auto-cross style track.
Worldwide there are eight competitions held each year and the one for Australasia, will be held in Winton, Victoria, later this year.
UOW Motorsport Business Director Connor Harvey said the partnership will help secure the team’s performance and success for years to come. “Our team always strives for success and to push the performance of our EVs every year, and this fantastic opportunity will help us achieve this goal not just this year, but in the future as the team evolves and adapts to the competition.” Mr Harvey said. “We are a team built of students who are wanting to push their learning to another level and show off what the Illawarra can do. By having an opportunity to tap into industry leading experts and products, we can take this one step further.”