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Spring 2005 |
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Cover Story
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New solar car unveiled Iowa State’s Team PrISUm recently unveiled its 2005 solar car, Fusion, which is entered in the North American Solar Challenge. It’s the eighth time Iowa State has entered a car in the world’s longest solar car race.  This year marks the first time in the race’s history that cars will cross an international border. Beginning in Austin, Texas, on July 17 and ending in Calgary, Alberta, on July 27, the 2,500-mile route—longest since the series began in 1990—follows U.S. Highway 75 through the United States, then the Trans-Canada Highway. More than 40 universities and corporations from around the world have entered the race, but not all will qualify. Teams first take their cars to Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas, for a two-step qualification session in May. Proving their car is structurally sound and won’t be a hazard on the highway is the first step in the process. Cars must then complete a minimum specified number of laps around the track over a two-day period at an average speed of at least 25 miles an hour. Reaching maximum speed (drivers must obey speed limits and other traffic laws) for 10 days comes down to three factors. The first is working out the bugs before the race in July. The second piece of the puzzle is teamwork—especially if the car runs into problems during competition. But, ultimately, it’s driving that wins the race. “We can’t stop for anything,” says Justin Steinlage, a senior mechanical engineering major and project director, with a grin, “including bathroom breaks.”  Left: Ryan Ellis, a member of the solar car team, adjusts the steering wheel on the car frame. More than 15 Iowa State students will take the trip, some driving the car, some monitoring the car’s systems, and others logging information as the trip unfolds. Most will follow closely in a chase van with lights flashing, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. The team currently plans to use five drivers. A full day of racing lasts about 10 hours, but rules limit an individual driver to six hours a day behind the wheel. Ideally, the team will change drivers only at media stops along the route. Winning this race will be difficult, Steinlage admits, but the team knows there are other factors to consider when gauging success. Limited funds means every part in the car isn’t as light or as powerful as possible. But that’s no excuse, Steinlage says. “We want to win, and we think we can.” |
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