Nine days of thunderstorms and overcast skies slowed Sunrayce 99
to a crawl, but its excruciating pace didn't dampen the enthusiasm
of the 42 IT students who had guided the University's solar car,
Aurora 4, during its two-year journey from the drawing board to
the finish line.
Aurora 4 placed fourth among 29 teams in the biennial race from
Washington, D.C., to Orlando, Florida, with a time of 64 hours,
24 minutes, and 13 seconds, averaging 22.1 miles per hour. The University
of Missouri-Rolla entry won the event in 56 hours, 16 minutes, and
44 seconds, with an average speed of 25.3 miles per hour.
Crowds of cheering parents and University alumni followed the Solar
Vehicle Project team along the 1,425-mile route, beginning on June
20 at the starting line and greeting the team as it arrived at Epcot
Center nine days later. Supporters also hosted special events for
the team in Atlanta and Orlando.
According to mechanical engineering junior David Ward, co-leader
of the team that designed the vehicle's electrical system, Aurora
4 is designed to perform optimally under sunny or partly cloudy
skies. The car has roughly 2,000 solar cells used to collect sunlight
that is transformed into electricity and stored in the car's battery.
On a sunny day, the cells can capture enough sunlight to generate
1,200 watts of power—enough to propel the 544-pound car (730 pounds
including driver and batteries) at 55 miles per hour. Using just
the array alone, Aurora 4 can travel at 47 miles per hour.
Plagued by gloomy skies during Sunrayce 99, the solar array picked
up enough sunlight for just 150 to 200 watts of electricity, forcing
the car to crawl along the race route at 20 to 25 miles per hour
to preserve battery power.
“With very little sun, the solar array didn't have much of a chance
to show what it is really capable of,” says chemical engineering
senior Tony Sporer, leader of the solar array team.
According to the project's co-managers, Kevin Grotheim and Elizabeth
Watkins, conditions were so poor that every car had to be towed
to the finish line during at least one leg of the race.
But cloudy weather wasn't the only challenge the team had to overcome.
At the end of the first race day, Aurora 4 rear-ended the team's
lead chaperone van on a slick road.
"The nose crumpled [on impact], dissipating the force of the impact
and protecting the driver,” says Ryan Gosse, an aerospace engineering
junior and co-leader of the project's aerodynamics team. “It did
its job so well that none of the delicate solar cells mounted to
the body were harmed.”
Although Sunrayce observers thought the accident might sideline
the Minnesota team permanently, the students scrambled to repair
the damage with duct tape and returned to the road in less than
eight minutes. Later that evening, the team restored Aurora 4's
aerodynamic shape with putty.
According to Professor Pat Starr, the project's advisor, teams
from other universities offered tools and spare parts to help repair
Aurora 4. By the time the car crossed the finish line in Orlando,
its nose sported new decals and a fresh coat of paint.
"There's a tremendous camaraderie between the teams,” he says.
“Everyone is rooting for everyone. It's more than a competition.”
