The history of the American solar car
The purpose of this article is to address the technological innovation brought by the Michigan Solar Car team to the automotive industry. This project was successfully tackled by a small group of one hundred of Michigan’s brightest students and their 300 sponsors.
I recently went to the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. It was amazing! So much glamor and so many vehicles to choose from. But, in this article I’m not going to talk about automakers and their vehicles … I’ll talk about a vehicle that pioneered twenty years ago and that had a tremendous supportive response from its sponsors and its students at the University of Michigan. . Yes, it is about the tenth generation of the UM school of its solar car called “Infinium”. What an extraordinary solar vehicle! His team mission was successful. The UM Solar Car team won several racing awards in two competitions, national and international.
One of the young team members, a sophomore, told me how proud he was of the entire team’s accomplishments, a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, and many team innovations.
Solar car racing in Michigan celebrated its 20th year of existence. What an achievement!
The solar car team won the majority of the North American Championship, five out of nine times. In the World Championship competition he finished third, three times. That is a great performance.
It all started twenty years ago when a group of passionate Michigan students won the GM Sunrayce. The 1990 Sunrunner solar car took first place GM Sunrayce and third place in the World Solar Challenge.
Advances in battery technologies used in the solar vehicle had contributed to the advancement of hybrids. Its carbon fiber composite body shared similar use in Grand Prix race cars and commercial aircraft.
Regenerative braking systems have been used since 1989 and have been implemented in hybrid vehicles ever since.
Advances in solar cells and collector systems were commonly used in large solar power plants.
The main components of Michigan’s solar car were:
carbon fiber composite body and chassis
electric motor
custom build suspension
Solar cells
low friction wheels
solar collector system (concentrator)
For car enthusiasts, the 2007 Continuum solar car specifications are listed below:
weight (without driver) – 475 lbs (215 kg)
size – 16.4 ft x 5.9 ft (5 mx 1.8 m
top speed – 87 mph (140 km / h)
maximum torque: 37 lb-ft (50.2 Nm)
rated output power – 2.5 hp
max. power output – 12.3 hp
max. matrix output: 1900 watts
fuel type – sun
batteries – 30 kg (lithium polymer)
fuel economy – infinity
A few words about solar vehicle racing.
The World Solar Challenge was founded by Hans Tholstrup in 1987. It takes place in Australia and begins in the north of Australia in Darwin and ends in the south of Adelaide, a race of about 1800 miles. Race results: 3 third places. The North American Solar Challenge race was founded by GM in 1989. Its length from start to finish is 2,500 miles. The race itinerary begins in Dallas, Texas and ends in Calgary, Alberta. Race results: 5 National Championships.
The Michigan Solar Car Team organization is made up of 4 units: Engineering, Business, Operations, and Strategy. The UM Solar Car team’s budgetary expenses of $ 2,600,000 included the cost of: vehicle, strategy, business, operation and logistics.
Known UM Solar Car sponsors include: GM, Ford, Dana, Denso, Shell, Roush, Alcoa, SKF Group, Detroit Auto Dealers Association, Molex, Tel-X Corporation, Vector Group, A123 systems, Delta, AT&T , Motorola, Bowne, Cytec, Michelin, 3M, Kaiser Aluminum, Visteon, ArvinMeritor and many more.
The media companies that covered the solar car team are: ABC, Boston Globe, CBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, ESPN, New York Times, MSNBC, Popular Mechanics, USA Today.
The UM Solar Car team is continually looking for sponsors and donations. As part of the University of Michigan non-profit organization, the Solar Car Team is a 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are eligible for tax exemptions, whether they are cash or in-kind donations of materials and services. select.
UM Solar’s car donors and sponsorship levels are listed below:
1. Platinum ($ 100,000 or more, at least $ 25,000 in cash)
2. Gold ($ 25,000 to $ 99,999, at least $ 5,000 in cash)
3. Silver ($ 10,000 to $ 24,999)
4. Bronze ($ 2,500 to $ 9,999)
5. Crew (less than $ 2,500)
The UM Solar Car team is a legacy of excellence. List of Previous Michigan Solar Car Names, Model Years, and Awards Won:
Sunrunner 1990, 1st place GM Sunrayce, 3rd place World Solar Challenge,
Maize & Blue 1993, 1st place GM Sunrayce,
Solar Vision 1995,
Wolverine 1997,
Maize Blaze 1999,
M-Pulse 2001, 1st place American Solar Challenge, 3rd place World Solar Challenge,
Spectrum 2003,
Momentum 2005, 1st place American Solar Challenge, 3rd place World Solar Challenge,
Continuum 2007, 1st place American Solar Challenge,
Infinium 2009,
The UM Solar Car team is a perfect example of green technology put to work. The solar car is a brilliant test in promoting alternative energy sources and developing advanced technologies. It allows the solar team to expand our public reach.
The North American International Auto Show in Detroit revealed the potential and capabilities of solar, electric and hybrid vehicles to a diverse audience. The future looks bright! For more information visit: http://www.umsolar.com.