The constructors of the car are the members the Lodz Solar Team. It is made up of students from the Automotive Enthusiasts Student Research Group. Rector of Lodz University of Technology, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik, who for many years has been the Head of the Institute of Turbomachinery, where the Research Group is active, congratulated the team saying:
- The team says that I have created a second home for them. Sometimes I suspect that it is their first home, because they spend a lot of time in the Institute, turning their enormous effort into a vehicle, which has its premiere today, and creating a wonderful family at the same time. The Eagle Two is a modest looking car with an odd shape, but one of immense value - there is creative passion in it and a lot of heart from the young people who made it.
The students worked on the changes to Eagle Two for over a year and a half. What is visible at first glance is the change of the body colour from grey to a combination of bottle green with black and white accessories. But if you look deeper, you will find many technical innovations. The team has modernised the steering, strengthened the suspension, and the larger battery required a change of engines. Now the car can accelerate up to 140 km/h. The battery, when fully charged, is enough to drive an impressive 2400 km! New seat mountings, facilitate more efficient assembly and disassembly, and the On-Board Diagnostic system enables quick fault diagnosis. The interior of the Eagle Two uses a material based on bird feathers, developed in cooperation with the Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres. As a result, thermal insulation has been significantly improved.
Anna Celichowska, the hostess of the premiere, member of the Virako Board, praising the young creators, whom she called 'talents of this city', said
- The unveiling of the new version of the solar car could not take place anywhere else because we, as representatives of business, try to make our city famous in Poland and in the world and the same is done by the Lodz Solar Team from Lodz University of Technology.
Lodz Vice-President Adam Wieczorek, who was present at the event, stressed that the creators of Eagle Two, who are united by commitment, a touch of positive madness and energy - the energy from the heart and the energy from the sun - are the pride of our city and region.
All the changes made, and there are many more, were made with the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2021 24-hour race in Belgium in mind, scheduled one week after the presentation of the new version of the car. The Lodz Solar Team won the title of European vice-championship, covering 235 laps for 24 hours, or 965 km on a single charge.
