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’m going to talk about a vehicle that pioneered twenty years ago and had a great response with the support of its sponsors and its students at the University of Michigan. . Yes, this is the UM school’s 10th generation of its solar car called “Infinium.” What an extraordinary solar vehicle! His team’s mission was successful. The UM Solar Car team won several racing awards in both national and international competitions.
One of the young team members, a sophomore, told me how proud he was of the entire team’s achievements, 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 contest he finished third, three times. That’s 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 World Solar Challenge.
Advances in battery technologies used in solar vehicles helped advance 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 the Michigan solar car were:
carbon fiber composite body and chassis
electric motor
custom suspension
Solar cells
low friction wheels
solar collector system (concentrator)
For car enthusiasts, the specifications of the 2007 Continuum solar car are listed below:
weight (without driver) – 475 lbs (215 kg)
size – 16.4ft x 5.9ft (5m x 1.8m
top speed – 87 mph (140 km/h)
maximum torque: 37 lb-ft (50.2 Nm)
rated output power – 2.5 hp
max. output power – 12.3 hp
max. array output – 1900 watts
fuel type – sun
batteries – 30 kg (lithium polymer)
fuel economy – infinite
A few words about solar car racing.
The World Solar Challenge was founded by Hans Tholstrup in 1987. It takes place in Australia and starts in the north of Australia in Darwin and ends in the south in Adelaide, a race of approximately 1,800 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. Career results: 5 National Championships.
The Michigan Solar Car Team organization is comprised of 4 units: Engineering, Business, Operations, and Strategy. UM Solar Car team budget expenses of $2,600,000 included the cost of: vehicle, strategy, business, operations, and logistics.
Well-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.
Media companies that covered the solar car team include: 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 nonprofit, 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 select materials and services.
UM’s solar car donors and sponsorship levels are listed below:
1. Platinum ($100,000 or more, at least $25,000 cash)
2. Gold ($25,000 to $99,999, at least $5,000 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 year, and awards won:
Sunrunner 1990, 1st place GM Sunrayce, 3rd place World Solar Challenge,
Corn and Blue 1993, 1st place GM Sunrayce,
sun Vision 1995,
glutton 1997,
Corn Glow 1999,
M-Pulse 2001, 1st place US 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,
infinity 2009,
The UM Solar Car team is a perfect example of green technology put to work. The solar car is a brilliant test in the promotion of alternative energy sources and the development of 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.
