Rayce Day 3

After the team awoke from their slumber at Camp Crowder in Neosho, MO, we set up our solar array at 6:30 AM to charge our batteries. Hoping to gain as much power as possible, the early team arose before sunrise to ensure the batteries were ready as soon as they were released from impound. While food on the road is sometimes hurried, Julia, our food guru, is certain to make sure everyone leaves the starting line that morning with lunch in hand. As team members threw peanut butter and cold cuts between slices of bread, sc5 got into position to leave the stage stop. Pat set out in the car with little delay. The car traveled through the streets of Missouri and Kansas on the way to Topeka, KS. Since our tires are not rated for sustained high speeds, the route sticks primarily to one or two lane country roads. This is also due to the fact that interstate highways are more of a safety hazard than those that are less traveled and have a lower speed limit. Due to our misstep on the first day, our batteries are not yet up to full power since we are driving with them constantly, so sc5 is still driving conservatively well under the speed limit. We parted ways with George, our rayce official, and picked up Chris, a sophomore from the University of Michigan, and an avid member of the Michigan Solar Car team. While we hoped to show him a quick leg, we were probably a little slower than he would have liked. Thus we picked the slowest song we could think of as his song of the day.

There was a scary moment when Julia was driving later in the day. As she was driving along a one lane road, the rear tire blew out. This caused sc5 to fishtail into oncoming traffic as Julia wrestled the car for control. Since there is not power steering or power brakes, it is the sheer muscle power of the driver that must control the car. As everyone in the support vehicles held their breath, Julia gained control and returned the car to the proper side of the road. Dust and debris entered the car cabin as it slowed on the embankment. After an instant that seemed to last an eternity, Julia responded that she was okay. Since there was no shoulder in the area where the blowout occurred, all vehicles were pulled off the road and sc5 was examined for damage. We decided to end driving for the day an hour early to ensure that the car was not damaged and the team was not taking unnecessary risks. We charged the batteries in the Ottawa, KS, animal hospital and spent the night nearby.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: Low Rider by War

Chris the Observer's Song Of The Day: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin

NUsolar on CNN!

Check out this link on CNN about sc5 in the North American Solar Challenge! Max is the driver and quotes are provided by our advisor, Professor Walter Herbst.

Click Here

-Mitch

Rayce Day 2

The second morning of the rayce found us in Crowder, OK. Thanks to the generous help of Jan Watson, our trailer had a place to stay for the night while we went up to the road to the nearest hotel. Jan was nice enough to lend us her driveway to store our trailer and car for the night. In addition, the staff of the Crowder Public Schools allowed us to use their parking lot as a staging area for charging and cooking, and even opened the facility for our use. One interesting part of the rayce is that regardless of where you are at the end of the day, this is where you must stop for the day and trailer the car for the night. It just so happens that sunday night ended in Jan's front yard. The folks of Crowder welcomed us with open arms and were genuinely happy to see us. It speaks volumes to southern hospitality to see the community open up to a group of people they don't even know.

After some much needed charging from the early morning sun and a careful tweak of the accelerator to eliminate an inadvertent cruise control that had developed the day before, Max set out from Crowder a little after 9 AM. One interesting moment occurred when our convoy was pulled over by an Oklahoma State Police trooper. While some worried if a solar car is capable of getting a ticket when it has no license, other joked that even though we were stopped, the car was charging while the trooper radioed in to confirm our story. Apparently he didn't get the memo about a solar car race in the vicinity. After questioning whether the car had brakes and whether or not it was remote controlled (we assured him that it did and it was not) he advised us to be safe and allowed us to continue on our way unimpeded. The team jokes about events like this and brainstorm possible scenarios to mitigate risk, and it always seems to end in jokes. There have only been urban legends of this type of event happening to teams before, and we were ecstatic if not slightly amused to see it happen to us. After being released by the state trooper, Max's run saw increased speeds from the day before, but also a few stops to rewire connections that had come loose. Rayce officials charged with ensuring that we were okay dubbed these electrical irregularities as Gremlins. All we needed to do was bash down the Gremlins (Whack-A-Mole style) to keep the car running. A loose wire here and there is perfectly normal, and as sc5 gets more road time these issues will be ironed out. The morning was spent beating down these Gremlins, particularly by Drew and his battery powered soldering gun. We were reassured that these Gremlins are perfectly normal, especially for a car like ours that has relatively little track time. One official mentioned that during his tenure as a student participant in the Sunrayce from Chicago to Los Angeles, his team was beating down Gremlins just like us as far as Santa Fe, so this is not a huge concern for the team.

The second half of the day yielded promising results. The author took over and sc5 saw its highest sustained top speed and distance traveled in its short existence. The car reached sustained speeds of 45 mph with ease and kept pace without failing for more than 70 miles. After a quick rewire, the car traveled another 60 miles, but her power was drawn down just shy of the stage stop in Neosho, MO, so the team was forced to trailer the car for the last 6 miles of the leg. While this will result in a small penalty, it is assessed by mileage the car spends in the trailer, so this will not noticeably affect our time. This is the best performance the car has seen to date, and we are happy with these results. The telemetry data from this run will be collected and analyzed to assess how to better utilize resources in the future. As the sun set on southwestern Missouri and the catered food provided by the race officials at the stop sat heavy in our stomachs, we were escorted to a military barracks where we were invited to spend the night with several other teams. All the teams present seemed grateful for the (bunk) beds and the sounds of restful sleep emanated from the rooms shortly thereafter.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: Roxanne by The Police

Rayce Day 1

This day was the big one; The one that NUSolar had been waiting for since 2005. The start of the rayce was upon us. The second most important day of the rayce (second of course to the day we cross the finish line) began with a group picture of all cars and their teams. The magnitude and importance of the event was slowly being realized by the teams. The group picture was taken from a cherry picker extended 75 feet high to ensure that the cars were framed well in the shot, and news stations were on hand to capture the event. Last minute comfort adjustments were being made so that Julia, our starting driver, would be adequately comfortable during the day's drive. Motorola temple transducer headsets were put in place to communicate with the driver and earplugs were distributed to drown out the small yet noisy 5 HP motor. Our car had the 11th pole position, which means she was to set out at 9:11 AM. As the minutes counted down, the team was anxious, but not nervous. Each member knew their role and exactly what needed to be done to ensure the car would not be dead on the starting line. The atmosphere was cool and confident. As the car pulled to the checkered line, the one minute wait time between us and the team before seemed an eternity. As the clock hit zero, sc5 whirred its motors and unceremoniously ambled away from the line. The start, while surrounded by cheering supporters, seemed almost routine and anticlimactic. Yet the fact that nothing seemed out of place gave the crew the biggest relief of all. Predictability was best gift of all that sc5 could have given us that morning.

Unfortunately this predictability was not to last. Intermittent showers and thick cloud cover plagued the car like a mosquito and threatened to not allow us to charge the batteries as they were drawn down. Instead of outrunning the clouds, NUSolar chose to run conservatively and averaged speeds around 25 mph for the whole day. Julia had to pull over a few times during her morning drive due to loose electrical connections or a depleted auxiliary battery pack. Loose connections can be hard to find, especially on the side of the road, but Drew attacked every problem with diligence and determination. When Pat finally pulled sc5 into the first checkpoint in Macalaster, OK, the sun was breaking through the clouds. Unfortunately our conservative speed meant that we missed the first checkpoint by a scant 30 minutes. While this was not a problem, Pat missed the 30 minute charging break he would have otherwise had. The car continued another 15 miles towards Missouri when we found our batteries to be depleted. Much to our dismay, the crew found that one of the three strings of cells had been inoperational for the whole day. Thus while we thought we had plenty of power left, the car was now close to empty. Forced stop and charge, the team found a school parking lot and set up to charge for the remaining hour left of race time.

As the first day of the rayce came to a close, the team was happy overall with the performance our car exhibited and the distance we had covered. The car had traveled 170 miles over the course of the racing day, averaging about 21 mph including the time we were stopped. While our position along the route and power levels could have been more favorable, we were excited that no major failures or roadblocks had arisen. The team, tired from a long day's work, headed up the road to our hotel for a well deserved (if not short) night's rest.

Check back tomorrow to see how the team has progressed along the rayce route and whether the predicted sunny weather will nurse the almost dead batteries back to full power.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: I Got Sunshine On A Cloudy Day by The Temptations George the Observer's Song Of The Day: Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood (Since are staying in the town that she was born in, Muskegee, OK)

Public Relations Day

Saturday saw the team in a new location for the day. The team set up at the Plano Centre in Plano, TX. Today was the public relations day where all the cars are on display for the public to see. An important goal of NUSolar is to promote education and awareness about solar power and other forms of sustainable energy. While the idea of a solar powered car is not necessarily feasible in today's world, the technology has practical and relevant applications. NUSolar hopes to share this vision through grassroots events and education outreach. NUSolar participates in various events similar to these, such as Earth Day for elementary school students, Da Vinci Day events at museums, and corporate events for sponsors. This particular event was open to the general public and was aimed at showcasing solar technology and what can be accomplished by harnessing its power. The team enjoys events like these because we are able to really spread the word and act as ambassadors for an up and coming technology. People are genuinely impressed and surprised to hear what we have to say and their praises and compliments vindicate all the hard work that we have done to see sc5 through to completion.

A special thanks goes out to Linda Willer, Max's mom, who volunteered to sanitize, clean, and fold the team's laundry. As the soiled clothes emerged, Linda's face transformed from a caring face to one of agony. The Texas heat tends to do a number on laundry that hides in obscure nooks of the caravans. Vytas came forward with one week's worth of laundry in the form of a pair of shorts and a couple t-shirts. Linda's query for additional laundry came back with the noncommittal response from Vytas, "No, that's all I have for the week." The whole group collectively took a step back in shock and Linda was now dreading the task ahead. In true Wildcat form, she carried through with the job with nary a complaint. NUSolar would like to offer her our deepest (and cleanest) gratitude for her services to the team.

As the PR day came to a close, there was an all team meeting for the teams with a nicely catered dinner. The large banquet hall was filled with a rainbow of colors signifying various schools. NUSolar received a participation award for completing scrutineering, and we met the rayce official who would have the unfortunate task of observing us on our first day. George W. is a professor from Red River College who has been involved in solar raycing for many years. He will be with us until we reach the first checkpoint in the rayce.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer

Time Trials Day 2

After a very eventful day on thursday, we paused friday morning to juice up the car. We had been running a little hot the day before (especially the author and his desire for F1 style racing lines and turns, thus seeing spikes of 40-50 Amps for short periods). The batteries charged (via solar power of course) on the array stand, which tilts the array so that it faces the sun. This is important since energy gained from sunlight is greatly reduced if the sunlight does not hit the solar cells straight on. The amount of power drawn from the array diminishes exponentially as the sun hit the solar cells at a greater angle. On a different note, the setup we have with our batteries is unique since we have no external means of charging them, such as a power adapter that we can plug into the wall. Thus every inch that sc5 moves is 100% powered by the sun.

While the batteries charged, we prepped our vehicles for the 2400 mile trek that was soon to begin. The vehicles with busted locks were returned with no overt signs of what happened to them just a week before. Upon request, we were even given the busted door handle as a souvenir. We stuck Northwestern lettering on the lead and chase vans in vinyl tape. Our team number, 11, was fashioned from duct tape and plastered alongside, which hopefully will come off before Northwestern notices it. Nobody quite seems to understand exactly how far this rayce/road trip will really extend. Today we sit a few hours from the Mexican border, and less than a week from now we will be crossing into Canada with a car we built ourselves.

In the afternoon, the crew removed the shell from its stand and attached it back to the bottom half of the car. The author needed 10 more laps to be a certified driver, so that came first. The experience of driving sc5 is much less like an everyday car and more like a cross between a go-kart and a formula one race car. The fact that the driver is so close to the ground mimics the performance of a go-kart, thus making the speeds achieved seem much faster than they actually are. The suspension and the cornering mimic a real race car. Since a turning radius of 50 feet is required for all solar cars, the suspension allows for tight turns and stiff cornering. Maintaining a 25 mph speed limit may seem simple, but it requires concentration and some knowledge of how to negotiate turns in a racing fashion. If a car does not take a turn along the right line, it may find itself spun out or worse.

After sc5 was warmed up on the track, she was sent back to the brake test that was not passed the day before. While NUSolar had qualified the car and was allowed to race, we had heard from rayce officials about our punishment. If we were not able to pass this brake test, then we would be limited to 55 mph throughout the rayce. With the hope that our road trip would not be speed limited, we attempted a few tries to get us under the required time. Finally, on our tenth attempt, we passed our brake test, thus raising the restrictions on sc5 during the race. Ecstatic about our productive day, the NUSolar crew began to pack up for our eminent departure from northern Texas. The qualifiers and inspection process for our cross country race were now behind us and sc5 was now ready to move into the best part of the trip, the open road. As darkness descended on Motorsport Ranch and the trailers overladen with slightly more gear than necessary began to pull away, the team from Oregon State University lit off some fireworks to celebrate the achievements of the 15 teams that were now qualified for the North American Solar Challenge.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners

Time Trials Day 1

The last 36 hours at the NUSolar trailer have been very eventful. Our two electrical specialists, Drew and R.C., spent many hours reviewing and evaluating the Battery Protection System. They decided to make a few specific minor alterations to streamline the car's performance. The Battery Protection System checkpoint was easily passed. With these steps behind us, NUSolar was ready for the fun stuff that tests the car's performance. But sc5 had other ideas. The car that has served us so consistently during scrutineering proved very finicky during the dynamic testing. As the team wheeled her up to the skid pad for a brake test, she decided that pressing the gas pedal would not result in any sort of action in response. This is definitely the bane of designers worldwide. There is no more depressing feeling that turning a device on and having nothing happen in return. The electrical gurus who were spent from working their magic on the battery protection were once again recalled from their slumber to fix the now defunct motor. What was supposed to be braking and slaloms turned into a 10 hour troubleshooting session. While the electrical members worked their magic, other members got a chance to catch up on other tasks that have taken a back burner since our arrival a few days ago. Pat and Phil had time to replace the razor that was stolen from the van last week, Vytas found that elusive shower, and Mitch and Julia dropped off the support vehicles with busted locks at the dealership for repair. When the wheels on the jacked up sc5 finally began to spin on their own accord around 10 PM, we were still not sure what the problem was. Regardless, it was fixed, and a few laps around the skid pad cleared all the cobwebs from the motor.

As the sun rose on a new day, the team was wheeling sc5 up to the skid pad for the start of the dynamic tests, one day later than expected. The slalom was passed on the first try, as well as a U-turn within a 50 foot radius. The figure eight course, which is a test of speed and turning, was passed quickly. The last test, a brake test, proved too difficult an obstacle for NUSolar to overcome. While the car was able to easily lock the wheels, the weight distribution was not sufficient for the car to stop in 2.5 seconds from 25 mph. Since the brakes were performing well, just not up to spec, the officials decided to allow sc5 onto the track. Pat took the car out on the track first and opened it up to see what she could do. The driver must maintain an average speed of 25 mph throughout the winding 1.7 mile course for the lap to count towards our time trial total. Pat had no trouble negotiating the tight downhill corners and hairpin turns. Pat did just short of 20 laps and passed the already warmed up car to Julia. After getting used to the course, she was soon passing other teams with ease. There was a brief scare when the car died in the middle of the track and required a tow back to the pits. It was found that a dead auxiliary battery pack was the culprit, which powers the horn, rearview camera and other electronics not powered by the solar cells. After about 20 laps, Max took over for 18 laps, enough to qualify him as a driver. As a freshman, Max is driving a solar powered vehicle for the first time. The transition came easy, as he was soon zipping through corners at the required speed. While the car may resemble something from outer space, it still drives just like a car. The author took over for the last few laps. The 60th lap was the important one, which signifies that the car has passed all the necessary qualifications. As the car crossed the finish line, the team greeted her with a checkered flag blowing in the wind and an enthusiastic cheer erupted from the pits. Some would say the hardest part of the race was behind the team now. The toughest critics of sc5, our peers, have officially deemed her a race worthy vehicle, a process which anywhere between 25-50% of teams do not pass. This means that come sunday morning, sc5 will be on the starting line in Plano, TX, at the beginning of a 2400 mile odyssey to Calgary.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: Come Together by the Beatles

Scrutineering Day 2

NuSolar continued on its quest to pass scrutineering today during day 2. Crew members arrived (quite early) this morning at Motorsports Ranch to see the car and array outside instead of stored in the trailer for the night like it should have been. Some members camped here in Cresson, TX, while some made the drive into Ft. Worth to stay at the hotel. Those that camped on site were in for a lecture for leaving the car out all night, but it was unwarranted since they had in actuality been working throughout the night on the car. It seems safe to say that the car has seen more improvements during these past few days than during any other one week period during its construction. While this may not be overly apparent in its external facade, sc5 is changing almost constantly. Whether adding a horn, rearview camera, or reprogramming the battery protection system, the car is continually morphing into a finished product that is better than it was just before.

Scrutineering on day two proved to be much more satisfying today than during day one. Thanks to the fix-anything electrical duo of R.C. and Drew, the Electrical system was given the green light almost instantly after their fixes worked flawlessly. Thanks to the nocturnal work by Vytas and Dan, the Mechanical system was given the go ahead to move to the time trials on the test track. These two approvals are the most important and difficult ones to obtain, and NUSolar is breathing a small sign of relief to have these challenges mitigated.

While we have some challenges behind us, many still lay ahead and there is no time yet for NUSolar to rest on our laurels. The team moved to the Body and Sizing portion of the scrutineering, which was successful due to the careful modeling and design of the carbon fiber shell. The 468 Monocrystalline Silicone crysial solar cells that line the topshell were required to fit within a 6 square meter area. These design constraints were considered years ago when the car was modeled, so the station was merely a confirmation of how well the car was constructed to our design.

The last approval that sc5 was able to obtain during day 2 was the driver approval. Interestingly, this relatively simple and straightforward set of requirements seemed to give NUSolar crew members the most trouble today. Blinking L.E.D. strobelights must adorn the top of the car, the horn must be a certain volume, and each of the four drivers must be able to exit the vehicle in case of an emergency within 10 seconds. The strobelights proved difficult to wire since they lie along the top of the car, which is a difficult place to run wires to. The horn kept switching between loud and quiet modes, almost making it sound like a musical horn playing La Cucaracha than the constant blast it was supposed to be. While our neighbors, University of Kentucky and Western Michigan University, found this amusing, the scrutineers were less than impressed. Finally, the 10 second egress from the car, proved to take up the majority of the day for our drivers. The drivers practiced and practiced until sunburns were chafed from the racing seatbelt and frustration was evident in the eyes of drivers eager to get out on the track. The closest time anyone had was still two seconds too high. Our emergency egress process involves removing the steering wheel, dashboard, five-point harness seatbelt, and the two tabs securing the windshield in place. All of this precedes the driver removing himself from the vehicle and jumping out from the cockpit without touching the solar cells. After carefully rehearsing each hand movement and body placement (and dodging a few quick rain showers) we thought we might be ready to give the process an official try, of which we were allowed three. Much to our surprise, each driver was able to pass the emergency exit from sc5 in under 10 seconds on their first try, and some even with time to spare! After fearing that the easiest station might be our eventual downfall, the crew was excited to pass this event with an emphatic green light to proceed. With these obstacles out of the way, all that remains is the Battery Protection System review station left before we are allowed to begin dynamic testing with a fully functional car. This system is definitely one that NUSolar takes seriously, so our electrical gurus Drew and R.C. are hard at work to make sure they are protecting our 545 Lithium Ion button batteries. Like today, tomorrow will certainly prove to be a groundbreaking and exciting day for sc5.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for updates on the scrutineering process and the results of moving tests.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: I Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

Scrutineering Day 1

Today marked the start of the official North American Solar Challenge programming with scrutineering and inspection of vehicles. The excitement was palpable even at the early hour of the all-teams meeting. This was the first time all teams were together in one place, and the myriad of colors, accents, and nationalities was refreshing and inspiring against the early morning backdrop of the Texas countryside.

The scrutineering process is very exacting and comprehensive to ensure that all cars are road worthy and no team has an advantage over other teams. The process is split into eight stations: Array, Body and Sizing, Driver, Electrical, Battery Protection, Mechanical, Dynamic, and Support. NUSolar participated in three of these stations today. The team received excellent critiques of sc5's mechanical systems, and some light modifications were suggested. While we have not been given the green light on the mechanical system, we are confident on our modifications and are sure that this crucial subsystem will be approved tomorrow. sc5 received excellent reviews of its welding, chassis, suspension and steering system. In preparation for the Driver station, the drivers were weighed and ballast bags were weighed so that no team has a weight advantage with lighter drivers. Each driver plus his ballast must equal 80kg, or about 175 lbs. The four drivers for NUSolar are the three recent graduates that fit in the car, Julia, Pat, and your humble author, as well as Phil, a rising junior. The Array scrutineering station was fairly straightforward, and the cells performed beautifully. The voltage and temperature was measured across each of the three subarrays and we were given a green sticker and a smiley face for our performance. The electrical station was as straightforward as the others. After a few laps around the Motorsports Ranch, the car was ready for its electrical test. Most systems were passed while smaller systems still required some touch up, such as our kill switch and battery enclosures. After a quick trip to the hardware store, these items are rapidly approaching completion and are sure to be passed tomorrow.

While we were hoping to be critiqued a little more gently, we are satisfied with the results thus far. No major faults or items that cannot be easily fixed have been unearthed yet. While there is still constant work to be done before the Friday qualifying deadline, the team is upbeat. The energy in the air is contagious, and the teams are extremely friendly. Two more members of the team joined us today, bringing the total NUSolar crew up to its full force of 11 men and women, along with an honorary team member-Mike's mom, Betsy Awadalla. We appreciate her donation of dinner to the whole team. The excessive comfort foods and fruit and veggies are something that will probably not be seen for quite some time along the rayce route, and the leftovers are sure to be consumed quickly.

While the rayce is in the spirit of competition, the level of sportsmanship is unparalleled. Every team wants to see the others succeed, and is willing to bend over backwards to ensure those that lag are given a helping hand. We have heard of teams lending welding services and cash to those in need in exchange for a nice home-cooked spaghetti dinner. While we are certainly busy in the Northwestern paddock, we are sure to lend a helping hand if teams are in need of materials or a spare tool. We know it will only be a matter of time until we realize that we forgot that important widget at 2133 Sheridan Road.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for updates on the scrutineering process and see if sc5 has been deemed road-worthy.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: She Works Hard For The Money by Donna Summer

NUSolar Descends on Texas

The team arrived this afternoon at Cresson Motorsport Ranch, the site of scrutineering and track qualifying raycing for the North American Solar Challenge. The term Scrutineering, a strange hybrid cross between scrutinizing and engineering refers to the process of a qualified person evaluating the technical and performance capabilities of the vehicle. Scrutineering is important in motorsports, since this ensures that the cars are on a common playing field in certain respects as well as safe to drive on public roads.

The team, fully rested from their long drive, pulled into the pits to set up shop for a long day of work. The Texas sun was beating down with a consistent 95 degree heat with few clouds in sight. While this is perfect weather for a solar car race, all members were soon feeling the heat. The team was working hard to clean up the car for the scrutineers and make sure all rules and regulations were followed. All wires were securely fastened and labeled, boxes for circuits were assembled, and duct work was put in as an attempt to cool the driver while driving. A far cry from air conditioning, these scoops dug into the bellypan of the shell allow ventilation for the driver as well as the warmest part of the car, the batteries. While AC would be a great addition to the car, it would simply draw too much power from the already streamlined electrical system. Thus systems such as AC or a radio are very unfeasible options for the solar car. In addition to the ventilation system, a rearview camera and screen were also installed, just in case parallel parking is necessary. The team was still hard at work long into the night to make sure that all the wires were hooked up correctly. The hum of gas-powered generators and the glow of floodlights from virtually every corner of Motorsport Ranch means that NUSolar has plenty of company should they get tired. Scrutineering for sc5 will start at 8 AM monday morning, much to the dismay of some team members looking to keep up a consistent sleep schedule.

A promised, a little information about your fearless blogger. I am originally from Stow, MA. I joined the team during my freshman year when I saw the newest car at that time ('Nergy, which raced in the American Solar Challenge in 2003) parked in the lobby of the engineering building. I was instantly hooked, and here I am today. I am a mechanical engineering and Psychology recent graduate of Northwestern University. NUSolar has three members on the rayce that have just finished their undergraduate studies this past June and have chosen to take time out of their future plans and ensure that the car on which they have worked so hard realizes its full potential. All three of us have been active members of NUSolar for all four years of our undergraduate career, which is certainly a testament to how much we value the experience of being a member of the solar car team.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for updates on the scrutineering process and see if sc5 has been deemed road-worthy.

-Mitch

Song Of The Day: Canned Heat by Jamiroquai

Another Day, Another Race

Greetings readers, it is once again time for another solar car race. The 2008 Northwestern University next generation solar car, dubbed sc5 (for the 5th model since the team's inception) is by far the strongest yet. More than 2 years of hard work and dedication have gone into this marvel of high design and engineering prowess. After three years since the last solar challenge held in North America, the team is fired up to have an opportunity to be invited back to the North American Solar Challenge. The race, or rayce as it is sometimes called (pun probably intended), is a 2400 mile test of speed and endurance. The course spans two countries, beginning here in Dallas, TX, and ending in Calgary in the province of Alberta, Canada. Teams trek from all corners of the globe for an opportunity to participate in this prestigious competition. NUSolar is excited to see how sc5 will stack up against what is sure to be some stiff competition.

The team has been working non-stop (or so it feels like) to make last minute adjustments to the car. After countless hours in the machine shop and auto bay back in Evanston, the team has made it to Ft. Worth to begin the inspection process to deem the car officially race-worthy. The 1000-mile two-day road trip was not without some collateral damage. After a team stop in West Memphis, AR, the team experienced a horrific setback. While eating a quick breakfast at a Waffle House near our motel before continuing on our drive, two of our three race vehicles were broken into and an estimated $10,000 of electronics were stolen. Cameras, laptops, passports, cash, video recorders, clothes, and many other valuable goods were lifted in plain daylight. Pat, our always upbeat project manager and team leader, was left with just a towel, shoes, sweatshirt, and shampoo. Amazingly, few team goods were pinched, and even more miraculously, sc5 remained unharmed while the lock on the pickup truck towing her was bashed in. As several members of NUSolar were Boy Scouts, the motto of ÔBe PreparedÕ was very helpful in this tragedy. Most relevant files have backups in Evanston, and comprehensive insurance provided by Northwestern will hopefully defray personal damages. While this setback is certainly an inconvenience to our team, we do not anticipate that this crime will negatively affect our performance in the coming weeks.

The team arrived in Ft. Worth just after 1:30 AM sunday morning and was asleep scant moments later. The prospect of sizing up the competition begins later today, and nobody wants to be tired for that. Today is the day that some on the team have been waiting three years to say they have participated in, and the hard work is ready to be showcased for all to see. Be sure to check back often for frequent race updates.

COMING SOON: Breakdown of the first day of the North American Solar Challenge team meetings and meet the blogger behind the blog.

-Mitch

The song that captures the mood of the day: I Will Survive by Aretha Franklin

The car is finished, so it is now time to head to the rayce. Today, we have left Chicago, to head to Dallas for the rayce. We anticipate arriving in Dallas tomorrow night. Then we will stay for a week in Dallas, for scrutinizing.

-James

On Wednesday, June 4th, we unveiled our 5th generation solar car, SC5. The unveiling was a great success, with a large crowd and media. Even though we just unveiled the vehicle, there is still a lot of work to complete before the race this summer, so we keep on working.

-James

We have just donated 'Nergy to Adler Planetarium to be on display for about a year. Having the car on display will allow other to learn more about who we are as a team, as well as inspire and educate other people on how they can use alternate energy, such as solar power, in their lives.

In construction news, things are moving ahead. We have now attached the belly pan to the top of the shell. Also, we are now preparing to solder the solar cells together. Things are moving along well.

-James

NUsolar currently has several exciting construction projects underway: welding of our frame is nearly complete, numerous small but important components arrive daily, and we recently completely reorganized our garage and installed a wall of shelving and cabinetry. On the electrical front, we received our solar cells and our currently testing them, we are constructing the battery pack with the help of one of our major sponsors, and we are wiring and testing the many electrical circuits necessary to power the car. Construction is moving at a brisk pace, and we are eager to complete our first assembly and get our car on the road as soon as possible.

-James

We have been very busy so far this quarter, as construction is raging on. We have cut out our belly pan and preparing to attach the rest of the bottom shell to the top shell. The frame is currently being welded together, while other components for the car are currently being built in the shop. There is no sign of slowing down as we are getting excited about how great everything is coming out.

-James

During winter break, we built the shell, and it looks great! As the next quarter begins, we will be putting all the pieces of the car together. Currently, we are building the frame of the car. This means that we have an exciting quarter of construction ahead of us.

-James

Over the past few weeks we have prepared the molds for transportation to Detroit. Tomorrow we will be driving to Detroit. Then, on Monday we will start construction of the shells at Roush, which will last the entire week. After this, the team will be taking a break for the holidays, so everyone will be well rested so we can finish construction of the whole car next quarter. On that note, I would like to wish all our sponsor, friends, and families happy holidays.

-James

As the quarter is winding down, we are preparing for our winter break trip to Detroit so we can professionally build our Carbon Fiber shell at Roush.

-James

Female Shell Mold
We have just constructed the female mold of the shell with help from Cass Polymers and SC Enterprises. The female mold is made from fiberglass and resin, and was laid up directly over the plugs (male mold). After we laid up the fiberglass, we vacuumed bagged the mold overnight to allow it to set while getting all the air bubbles out of the fiberglass. In the end, the mold came out looking great! Currently we are preparing to build the shell directly from this mold.

-James

The Race Route
The race schedule has now been posted for the 2008 North American Solar Car Challenge. The race will begin in Dallas, Texas, USA on July 13, 2008 and end in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA on July 21, 2008. For more details see the North American Solar Challenge 2008 Schedule.

-James

Solar Car Educations Sessions
NUsolar organized various education sessions to educate new members. The sessions were lead by current team members and included overviews of electrical and mechanical system, sponsorship and basics of solar car. Much of the team’s knowledge is gained organically. Education of team members is great importance to the team.

Meeting with the Dean
Representatives of NUsolar met with Associate Dean Stephen H. Carr and Assistant Dean Ellen Worsdall of the McCormick School of Engineering. The purpose of this meeting was to update the Dean and the school on NUsolar's progress and to collaborate on outreach possibilities

NUsolar is Huge
In this fourth week of the quarter, the team is glad to see that the majority of new members are still with NUsolar. The tally at this week's Team Meeting was forty.

Plugs still look great
The plugs that Vytas Bradunas (Operations Chair, Acting Team Captain) has been bragging about (constantly) are looking fantastic. They were made by APW, based on NUsolar’s design

-RC

As the new school year begins, things are looking bright for NUsolar. The foam plugs for the shell have arrived, which is the female mold. Also, the kickoff meeting for new members on the team yielded well over 50 people, beating expectations. This makes sure that we have more then enough members as construction of our next car begins.

Currently, we are tooling up on knowledge and finishing up calculations to allows us to begin construction of the frame for the car in the next few weeks. During this whole process, we are going to have a tv crew from the Big Ten Network taping us to create a documentary on NUsolar.

-James

In the past few weeks we have ordered and received the materials for our shell. The first phase of our vehicle construction begins this week as our shell molds are carved out. We'll then use our molds to actually build our shell starting on September 18. Once we have our shell made, we'll paint it and attach the solar cells which are scheduled to arrive in less than two months.

The team is preparing to return to campus for the fall quarter where we will continue heavy recruitment of new team members. Our new members will join us as we engage in one of the most construction intensive phases of our project where we'll build our aluminum frame, steering and suspension system, and electrical components

-Michael

The team has been focusing heavily on design during the first month of the summer. Specifically, we have been finalizing the frame and shell design, and integrating the two. We have been in detailed contact with the companies that will help us machine and build the shell, and are currently ironing out the final details. Construction of the frame and shell is scheduled to begin this summer and conclude during the course of the fall quarter.

In addition, we have run several small scale tests of the actual shell molding process. Over the next week, we will run one or two more tests on shell materials, and do stress analysis on the processed samples. This will help us navigate the tradeoffs between building a heavier, stronger shell verses a lighter shell while maintaining a significant factor of safety.

-Michael

The past two weeks have been action packed with the continuation of shell and suspension design for our next vehicle and several days on the road with our current car, NU'Nergy. We performed extensive vehicle testing in Wisconsin on April 14th and 15th, gathering data on the power consumption of our motor at various speeds and under various road conditions. We noted a few issues with our batteries and electronic transmission system, which we have since corrected, and are in the process of analyzing data from about 5 total hours of driving.

On April 21st we attended Adler Planetarium's "Astronomy Day for Kids" where we displayed and demonstrated the car for hundreds of visitors. Throughout the day we answered questions ranging from "Is that a spaceship?" from kids to detailed technical questions about the motor, electronics, and suspension systems from their parents. We will be out in public again on Saturday, May 5 at the Museum of Science and Industry. Hope to see you there!

-Michael

The Northwestern team continues to advance on all fronts: we have recently brought a new data collection system online and extensive vehicle testing is planned for the coming weekend to determine the power usage and performance attributes of the vehicle. Also, design continues on our next-generation vehicle, with the frame geometry nearly decided, rough part designs for suspension components established, and final modifications in the works for the shell. Our sponsorship team has recently secured two new donations and three public relations events are scheduled over the coming weeks.

-Pat

We are continuing work on the next-generation vehicle design, and recently settled on our shell concept. We have made substantial progress with our fluids analysis, especially where we are using new software to our team, and we are optimizing our design parameters to minimize drag and maximize solar cell area. The major structural vehicle systems (shell, suspension, and frame) are underway and integration will be taking place soon.

-Pat

The last few weeks have been full of progress on all fronts: Airtech, Inc. has recently joined our list of sponsors with a substantial donation of layup materials, we have completed round 1 of our next-generation shell design and analysis, and construction of a new array stand for our current vehicle will begin in a few days.

-Pat

With the new regulations for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge now in hand, NUSOLAR is energetically working to design our fifth team vehicle. There are several new design challenges to tackle for this project, especially the new upright driver position, and the team has dedicated the winter quarter (January to March 2007) for comprehensive vehicle design. Construction is scheduled to begin in March and occupy much of the year.

-Pat