Final Coat
Innovative solar car radiant in Glasurit white
The Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany has presented a new solar car—the BOcruiser—and BASF Coatings is the supplier of
the paint for the ultra modern vehicle with its Glasurit
brand. The model’s predecessor—SolarWorld No. 1—
captured the design title of, “World’s most beautiful solar car,”
and was also clad in a finish of Glasurit paint. After the
luminescent yellow used for SolarWorld No. 1, the
BOcruiser appears in white, a color that symbolizes sustainability and is increasingly popular among car owners.
Rainer Lennartz, who lives in the German town of
Lünen-Brambauer and is a member of the Lennartz
spraypainting team, was responsible for painting both
Solarworld No. 1 and the BOcruiser. A team of approximately 30 engineering students are presenting a brand
new concept with the BOcruiser. The most striking change
is the fact that this latest solar car drives on four wheels
rather than three, as was the case for Solar World No. 1.
For Lennartz, the requirements for the finish were even
tougher than last time. For instance, in order to reduce weight,
only the bare minimum of paint was to be applied. For this
project, Lennartz chose Glasurit 22 Line HS 2K Topcoat.
“No more than one and one-half layers of paint, but nevertheless fulfill the basic functions of the paint finish, like
protection, durability and design,” Lennartz said. In comparison, a new car is generally finished with four coats of
paint (e-coat, primer, basecoat, clearcoat). Lennartz applied
the primer to only some parts of the vehicle’s exterior
before topcoating it with 22 Line, which has a high degree
of hiding power, allowing him to dispense with a clearcoat.
The sponsors’ logos were painted on with a stencil and
sealed with clearcoat, and the surface was subsequently
sanded and polished. “Bochum University and I agreed on
this version of applying the logos, which prevents the edges
of the decals from causing air swirl,” Lennartz explained.
The BOcruiser will have its first real-life test in October
at the World Solar Challenge, cruising 3,000 kilometers
through the Australian outback. “Our motivation for building this car was not to be first to cross the finish line at the
race,” said Friedbert Pautzke, project manager. “The
BOcruiser is part of our series of solar vehicles that is consistently taking the next innovative step toward everyday
use. It will be proving its ability to take to the roads for the
first time in the race in Australia.” CW
A team of approximately 30 engineering students from Germany’s Bochum University of Applied Sciences has unveiled the
BOcruiser solar car. BASF Coatings’ Glasurit 22 Line HS 2K Topcoat was applied for the white finish.