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by Florencia Agote
Members of the University of Minnesota's Solar Vehicle Project team found themselves racing way before they ever arrived at this summer's Formula Sun 2000 solar car race.
But instead of racing other cars, the team found themselves racing against the clock. With only months to go before the competition, team members discovered that the car they were supposed to use was stranded at sea.
"Aurora 4 was supposed to return from Australia [where the team participated in an international competition]," says Professor Patrick Starr, the team's faculty advisor, "but the ship bearing the solar car had engine problems and had to go back to Europe for repair."
Team members weren't sure when the Aurora 4 would arrive, but they knew they would have to make some major modifications when it did. So rather than try and quickly repair the Aurora 4, the team decided to modify 1997's solar car, the Aurora3.
"We had a lot of discussions about what we should do with the delay of Aurora 4.We originally thought that Aurora 4 was in better race condition because it was just getting back from a race, but the delay didn't give new team members enough time to work on the car in order get them prepared for Formula Sun 2000," says chemical engineering senior Lisa Mauer, the project's manager.
"We knew we would have to make some major modifications to Aurora 4 [to prepare it for Formula Sun 2000], so rather than do a crash diagnosis and repair, we decided to modify Aurora3,"adds Starr.
Modifying Aurora3 meant making it more like Aurora 4. Team members rewired the car, replaced the battery pack, changed the steering system, dismantled all suspension systems, and rewelded the car to ensure safety. In the end, the team's hard work and dedication paid off. They earned second-place honors in the open-class competition and placed third out of 14 overall.
The changes also had unexpected bonuses.
"By repairing Aurora3, we were able to teach our new team members a lot of skills [that] prepared them for the race," says Mauer. "Moreover, this was the lightest vehicle that the team has ever raced and able to reach speeds comparable to Aurora 4. Repairing Aurora3 was an overall good decision on the team's part."
According to Mauer, the project's goal is to help students learn by participating in a challenging, fun activity that develops professional-level work skills and enhances their leadership and teamwork abilities while educating the public. Team members apply their current knowledge to real world problems and developing solutions.
The team includes 30 engineering students from several disciplines. Because
they put so much time into the car, they learn a lot about other people and
also about trust and dependability.
"Our project could never function if someone promised to do something and then didn't do it," says Mauer.
The team is divided into five design teams: the aerodynamics team, which designs and builds the aerodynamic shell; the mechanical team, which is in charge of suspension, steering, braking, and chassis design and construction; the electrical team, which designs the electrical systems, chooses batteries and makes telemetry and driver controls; the solar array team which designs and builds the solar array; and the strategy team, which makes sure the other teams are all working together well.
Starr believes the students are gaining valuable experience that will serve them well in the future.
"Due to design limitations, solar-powered cars may never be very practical, but the design and technology used in solar cars, the combination of software and hardware, is cutting-edge," he says. "These students will transfer their know-how to create the technology of the future." The team's next vehicle, Borealis, will have a completely new design, says Mauer. The Aurora models featured a wing-shaped aerodynamic shell, but Borealis will integrate its canopy and chassis into the shell. The chassis' curved bottom will further reduce aerodynamic drag. Borealis also will use solar cells with a higher efficiency.
Work on the new vehicle has been underway for about a year. "We'll have it done in April, and we'll race in July in the American Solar Challenge and hopefully also in Australia," says Mauer.
In the interim, the team is facing a new challenge. Space and financial problems are keeping the team from completing Borealis in time for Sunrayce 2001. The team was forced to move out of its temporary quarters and into a space that could not accommodate it. Now, the team is being forced out of that location as well. "We're basically homeless," says Mauer, "and project sponsors are reluctant to provide shop space because the University has always provided space in the past." She adds that "the project receives no University funding and the departments are already stretched to the limit with donations."
The entire project is in jeopardy, but Mauer still has hope. After all, she and the team are used to facing difficulties together.
"More work has to be done by our students to raise money," says Mauer. "It is a very challenging and daunting task."
