Aurora 101 featured as a major display at the
Australian Pavilion at World Expo 2000
for an extended three and a half week period. The team had been invited to show the
World Champion Solar Car by Dr Greg French of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
because it not only featured leading Australian technology but matched the overall Expo 2000
theme of the Environment.
The Australian pavilion was one of the main drawcards of Expo 2000 with daily audiences of up to 30,000 people. It was brilliantly situated opposite the main lawn in front of the Flambée performance. A popular external part of the pavilion was the giant Clipsal video screen in front of which the Aurora 101 Solar Car was displayed.
Some 16,000 Aurora brochures, CSIRO data sheets and reprints of the excellent
Photon Magazine
article about the World Solar Challenge were distributed.
Aurora team members Julia Blackham, Tony Vriens and David Fewchuk had excellent
opportunities to speak about Australian technology, in particular the contributions from
CSIRO,
RMIT and the
UNSW Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering.
These three were featured in German posters explaining Aurora's features in motor
technology, aerodynamics, and solar cells.
Eminent Government personalities visited the Australian pavilion during the time that
Aurora 101 was on display. These included the Hon. Mark Vaile, Australia's Federal Minister
for Trade, the Hon. Alexander Downer, MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator
the Hon. Margaret Reid, President of the Australian Senate, and Ambassador
to Germany, Paul O'Sullivan.
All showed great interest in the Aurora Solar Car and offered solid encouragement for
pursuing this technology.
The Hon. Alexander Downer MP with driver Tony Vriens
Senator the Hon. Margaret Reid
David Fewchuk was invited to speak in the
Environmental Technology seminar conducted
by the Australian Government, organised by James Shevlin, Director of Special Projects
2000 at Environment Australia.
Mr Rudolf de Mular with Tony Vriens
James Shevlin, Environment Australia
Aurora 101 was a popular subject for Media coverage, featuring in three television programs,
from Germany, the United States and Canada,
and appearing in three newspaper articles including BILD, Germany's highest circulation
newspaper (3 million per day).
David Fewchuk with German TV crew
EXPO journal 22/6/2000
BILD newspaper 10/7/2000
The team of people at the Australian Pavilion made the Aurora visitors very welcome. Peter Tesch, Deputy Commissioner, Sandra Chipchase, Deputy Director, Paul van der Ent, Manager of Technical Operations and Dr. Greg French and Stewart Plant of DFAT provided an excellent display position and ensured that Aurora participated in the pavilion as much as possible. We thank them.
We were very pleased to have the Managing Director of
Bosch Australia Mr Kurt Liedtke, one of Aurora's major supporters,
visit the Australian pavilion as well
as Mr Bernt Schlikum, the Managing Director of DaimlerChrysler Australia.
One of America's motor racing legends and owner of a successful Indycar race team,
Mr Roger Penske was also an unexpected visitor.
Kurt Liedtke, Bosch Australia
A world engineering conference attended by three and a half thousand engineers took place
in Hannover 19-21 June. At this event, Professor Martin Green was awarded the 1999
Medal of Engineering Excellence by the World Federation of Engineering Organisitions.
Martin and his wife Judy took time to visit the Australian pavilion during their short stay
in Hannover.
Martin and Judy Green
Germany's leading solar array expert, Hans Gochermann twice visited the Aurora display and had valuable technical discussions with Aurora team members.
Visitors seeing the Aurora 101 Solar Car commented favourably about its advanced technology and how appropriate it was that Australia should be leading this activity. Many Germans knew specifically about Aurora 101 and the World Solar Challenge because of the extensive television coverage the event receives in Europe. Also, Aurora 101 had featured on the CSIRO display at the Hannover Trade Fair in March 2000.
Aurora 101 was displayed exactly as it appeared in the 1999 World Solar Challenge, acknowledging
all supporters.
The display positioning allowed us to acknowledge many of the supplier sponsors, as follows: 3M, Auto Innovations, Avin Colorclad, Britax Rainsfords, Cadillac Plastics, ETRS, INC, Jayco, Littlefuse, Meury, PPG, Price Higgins, Proj-X and Radial Pacific.
The Aurora 101 Solar Car departed Germany on 18 July aboard Contship Vision. All logistics for this Aurora 101 appearance in Germany have been handled by Schenker.