A University of Minnesota student team edged out competitors for second place last week in a cross-country solar-powered vehicle race.
The
student group was among 18 teams that designed, built and drove a solar-powered car more than 1,100 miles, from Tulsa, Okla., to Chicago, Ill., as part of the
2010 American Solar Challenge.
"It's a rather significant feat that in two years a bunch of college kids design, build and race a car from scratch," says Alan Jacobs, a materials science student and project manager of this year's car.
The Minnesota team prides itself on building extremely light and aerodynamic solar cars. This year's model, called Centaurus II, is the school's ninth solar car project. It's about 3 feet tall, 16 feet long, and 6 feet wide, and weighs less than 400 pounds without a driver.
The competition takes place on public highways, meaning the teams need to contend with traffic and gawkers. The vehicles begin charging each morning at 7 a.m., then leave the starting line at 9 a.m. Most of the vehicles have no problem going the speed limit, 55 to 65 mph.
The Gopher team briefly took the lead during Day 5 but then ran out of juice and had to pull over to recharge while Michigan and Stanford passed them by. The Minnesotans passed Stanford the next day but were unable to catch Michigan, which held on to win first place.
"It was a really close race," says Jacobs. "We were just trying to keep going the best we could."
About 30 students from the College of Science and Engineering actively participated in the project, which is funded through cash and in-kind donations of parts and materials.
Source: Alan Jacobs, University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Writer:
Dan Haugen