Unlike many press releases we see about solar-powered motor racing, a recent one from Arizona State University gives us much more detail about the effort put into making a solar-powered racing car. Before we dive into the process, let’s look at why it matters and what we usually get from university PR.
Why these solar power cars matter
here and there, CleanTechnica covers news of solar-powered motor racing, which is largely done by university students. It may seem silly to cover these stories year after year when not only has the commercial EV world taken off, but even the cheapest and most worn mass-produced EVs will leave these cars in the dust. But it’s important to remember the EV world’s roots.
For example, a solar car competition in Australia led a GM team to develop new EV technology. Not only did they win the race handy with their sleek poly-looking car (the Sunraycer), but it directly led GM to build the Impact, a prototype that led to the EV1. As the documentary Who killed the electric car covers well, it was the first time modern EVs hit the road in any serious numbers, even if only in a handful of US states. In the end, GM took back the cars they rented out and smashed them, but it inspired something that almost no one would dispute, played an important role in the future of the EV industry:
Few people know that we started Tesla when GM forcibly recalled all electric cars from customers in 2003 and then smashed them in a rubbish bin
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 9 June 2017
As we know, Tesla has broken through and proved that mass-produced electric cars are not only possible, but desirable and even profitable. This put pressure on other car manufacturers to act and build their own electric cars. Now we see some serious progress being made to put a large number of EVs on the road.
In other words, yesterday’s seemingly simple solar-powered motor racing led to today’s EV boom. Not only did they provide the technology, but they disseminated knowledge and experience to people who would later work in the industry. They also inspired people to get involved.
What we usually hear about these breeds
Most of the time, when we see some university’s press release about their solar power team, we see a picture of the completed car, some details about the student team, some quotes from them, and facts that leave the university well lyk. Some of them (in the process of pumping up the university) talk about how solar racing gives students an edge in their future careers in automotive engineering.
While these releases are great in some ways, they are usually not very satisfying CleanTechnica readers because they do not give us much detail about the car itself or the process of making it. While many of us are here for the stonks, some of us are here for the nerdy stuff that makes the stonks go.
A recent ASU press release did a much better job
In a recent press release, ASU did something they do not normally do: give us a deeper behind-the-scenes look.
They tell us the story of this year’s Solar Devils racing team as they prepare to race a vehicle in the 2023 American Solar Challenge. The team started in the summer of 2021 when Ayman Hangalay decided he wanted to gain more hands-on experience working with EVs and automotive technology.
“I was fascinated by the vehicles that other universities could create in the same competition,” says Hangalay, “and it inspired me to take on the challenge of trying to emulate it at ASU.”
He has since graduated but is still working with the team to help them prepare for future races. Although it is easy to build prototypes compared to mass-producing cars, it is much more difficult to build a one-off vehicle that has to beat the work of other engineering students than to make something to sell to people.
The team leader described the process and how their classroom experience led them to success:
“The design of vehicle components relies on the fundamentals of structural mechanics: the exterior of aerodynamics and fluid dynamics, the battery-to-solar panel connection to circuit knowledge, and CAD skills to perform all computer-designed models and simulations. for testing, “he says. “The engineering curriculum at ASU is doing a great job of teaching the fundamentals that will eventually find their way into all aspects of the construction process.”
But, he says, not everything can be learned in a classroom.
“Removing a solar-powered race car is a huge project with a lot of logistics to take care of,” says Anoop Grewal, a lecturer at Fulton Schools who serves as the Solar Devils faculty advisor. . “The students learn a lot of practical lessons that they will not get in classes, such as how to obtain parts, how things fail in real life, manufacturing issues and more.”
In other words, this experience prepares students to work in the real world, where a company has limited funding, suppliers who can or may not deliver, and parts that can and will sometimes fail. Knowing what to do in theory is great, but knowing how to lead work through challenges is something that will make these students much more valuable to the companies they eventually work for.
The team also builds relationships with people who are already in the industry. Not only did they have to come up with money the day before to build a solar-powered race car, but they also enlisted the help and assistance of established experts, including an engineer at Tesla who helps lead the team. Again, it helps with career goals, but also shows that these teams help the industry itself. Getting things done requires getting to know people, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know people.
“This is such a special project because it not only offers students the opportunity to take part in a challenging and incredibly rewarding experience,” says Hangalay, “but we also help shape future engineers who will hopefully be interested in renewable energy. will get and the world for the better. ”
There is a lot more information and more photos on the ASU website, so if you are curious, feel free to check it out!
Exhibit: Members of Solar Devils at a Spring 2022 Semester Design Meeting. Photo by Erika Gronek, image provided by Arizona State University (ASU).
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