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(from left) UM Solar Car Team members Peter Balogh, Doug Lambert, Max Ross, Brian Ignaut, Joe Belter, David Masselink, Brent
Schwartz and Michael Adams.
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Of course, driving from Austin, Texas to Calgary, Alberta is a snap if you have the time and money for fuel. It’s more of a challenge if you’re counting on the sun for fuel, as did the solar-powered cars in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge (NASC). But it really helps if you have Momentum.
“This victory is the fourth for the University in the 15-year history of the event--the most of any school. I know you share my pride in this tremendous accomplishment that reflects well on the interdisciplinary strength of the College and the University,” wrote Ronald Gibala, Interim Dean of the U-M College of Engineering, in announcing the results to the College community.
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Team members celebrate after their victory. (Photo courtesy of North American Solar Car Challenge) |
Finishing first proved that Momentum, the latest-generation solar car from the University of Michigan, clearly met the challenges inherent in the 2,500-mile race held in July 2005. The length of the race exceeds the two previous races by over 100 miles and is the longest held anywhere in the world. This year’s race attracted some 40 teams, including 10 from Canada.
ME is proud to have played a significant role in the team’s success. Race Crew Chief Peter Balogh, who just finished his third year at ME, oversaw all of the engineering on the vehicle. The ME team was headed up by Max Ross.
Other teams contributing to the solar car’s overall program include Power-Electrical engineers, who handle the power systems and Micro-Electrical engineers who oversee the microcontrollers that are the “brains” of the vehicle and control all of the other systems, while also sending the rest of the team real-time telemetry data when the car is running. A Business team seeks funding, the Operations team handles all logistical and “infrastructure” issues, while the Strategy team gives input into the way the car is run in order to conserve energy and thus win the race. As Balogh noted, “This is certainly important, since solar car races are won by the most energy efficient vehicles.”
While several teams were key to the Momentum’s success, the ME team was one of the larger ones, and with over 20 people contributing their energy and effort. Key ME participants were Balogh, juniors Max Ross and Mike Adams, and sophomores Brian Ignaut, Doug Lambert and Joe Belter, who was driving when Momentum crossed the finish line. Balogh also noted the significant contributions made by former team members and the team’s advisors.
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Max Ross keeps cool as he prepares to leave Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada during the North American Solar Challenge, Sunday, July 24, 2005.
(Photo courtesy of North American Solar Car Challenge) |
“We've also worked with graduate student Chris Churchill and several solar car alumni who are now working within the engineering industry. We also have two faculty advisors, Brian Gilchrist, and Bob Culver, and Chito Garcia, an experienced machinist and also a team mentor.
One of the strongest motivations this time was the team’s desire to improve on previous attempts that were unsatisfactory. That effort encompassed both design/engineering and team coordination.
“Several of us were involved in the last solar car project,” said Balogh, “which unfortunately, did not qualify for this race. There’s been a great deal of improvement. We’ve also passed the qualifier race, called the Formula Sun Grand Prix, where we finished second.
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Momentum in the Brandon checkpoint. (Photo courtesy of North American Solar Car Challenge) |
“Still, it’s a completely different environment during the race, since there is little time for actual engineering development, and the strengths of the individual teams are what determines winners and losers. Since no car runs completely perfectly, it is the behavior of the team as a whole that determines how much time is spent on the track, and what happens if the car has to stop racing. The best team solves the problems the most quickly, and this is what keeps the car going. Therefore, what I like to say is that the engineering is the easy part. Anyone with the right education can crunch numbers. The hard part is making a very unique group of individuals work together effectively to achieve a common goal.”
Emphasizing the speed necessary to learn to work together, Balogh observed that the biggest challenge was to learn everything they needed to know in time to implement it. “This team is very young,” he said, “and we got off to a slow start, since we were trying to identify how not to repeat the last race’s failure to qualify. A lot of knowledge transfer and learning had to happen for us to confidently design a solar car that we can put one of our friends in and send safely down the road. Last year there was an accident in a test run, where Andrew Frow, a University of Toronto student was killed while driving their solar car. This also made the grim point that safety is ultimately the key to winning.”
This year’s design featured a three-wheel configuration to help meet the goal of operating a solar-powered car at approximately the same speed as a normal car. The three-wheeled concept emerged from a tradeoff study that the team members did, where they found that they could reduce the weight and aero drag of a three-wheeled car, while maintaining the simplicity of the design. The team has taken Momentum, which weighs just under 650 lbs with the driver in it, up to 80 mph. It’s about three times as aerodynamic as a normal truck, enabling it to go at its top speeds using approximately the same power as a toaster oven.
The 2005 North American Solar Challenge race followed U.S. Route 75 and the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), with checkpoints in Weatherford, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; Topeka, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Fargo, N.D.; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Brandon, Manitoba; Regina, Saskatchewan; and Medicine Hat, Alberta, before reaching the finish in Calgary.
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Joe Belter gets ready to roll out of the checkpoint in Weatherford, Texas, during the
North American Solar Challenge, July 18, 2005. (Photo courtesy of North American Solar Car Challenge) |
NASC cars must be powered solely by sunshine. The racers use photovoltaic (solar) cells to convert sunlight into electricity to power their cars. Weather and energy management play important roles in the race. The cars usually travel at highway speeds and are required to obey local speed limits, but in general, the sunnier the day, the faster and farther the cars can run.
The race is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).