Blue Sky Solar Racing / en Introducing Viridian: 茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing unveils its latest solar car /news/introducing-viridian-u-t-s-blue-sky-solar-racing-unveils-its-latest-solar-car <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Introducing Viridian: 茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing unveils its latest solar car</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-07-03T11:27:57-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 3, 2019 - 11:27" class="datetime">Wed, 07/03/2019 - 11:27</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-youtube field--type-youtube field--label-hidden field__item"><figure class="youtube-container"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6PYCLwZdTE?wmode=opaque" width="450" height="315" id="youtube-field-player" class="youtube-field-player" title="Embedded video for Introducing Viridian: 茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing unveils its latest solar car" aria-label="Embedded video for Introducing Viridian: 茄子直播&amp;#039;s Blue Sky Solar Racing unveils its latest solar car: https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6PYCLwZdTE?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </figure> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/nick-iwanyshyn" hreflang="en">Nick Iwanyshyn</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/blue-sky-solar-racing" hreflang="en">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A sleek, bullet-shaped vehicle will be zooming across the Australian Outback this fall, harnessing the power of the sun to make it through the toasty terrain.</p> <p>The solar car is the latest model created by University of Toronto鈥檚 <a href="http://blueskysolar.utoronto.ca/">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a>, a team of undergraduate students from the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering who build and race solar-powered vehicles.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EzzqOY_z5Oc" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>Viridian, the 10<sup>th</sup> car built by the team in 23 years, will be put to the test during the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a 3,000-kilometre race from Darwin to Adelaide that takes place Oct. 13-20.</p> <p>The car has four square metres of silicon solar cells, a new electrical system and a design the team hopes will prove to be its most aerodynamic model yet.</p> <p>鈥淭he team鈥檚 objective is to promote and provide students with an opportunity to grow and develop themselves outside of the classroom as well as to promote sustainable technology through the building and designing and racing of solar-powered race cars,鈥 says <strong>Hubaab K. Hussain</strong>, managing director of Blue Sky Solar Racing and a mechanical engineering student.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Blue-sky-750.jpg" alt><br> <em>茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing team unveils Viridian at the&nbsp;Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)&nbsp;</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 03 Jul 2019 15:27:57 +0000 Romi Levine 157165 at 茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing team unveils its newest vehicle /news/u-t-s-blue-sky-solar-racing-team-unveils-its-newest-vehicle <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播's Blue Sky Solar Racing team unveils its newest vehicle</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-08-15-blue-sky.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tUTivwxI 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-08-15-blue-sky.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BuXtFsPJ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-08-15-blue-sky.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YM9svrRq 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-08-15-blue-sky.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tUTivwxI" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-08-15T10:09:29-04:00" title="Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 10:09" class="datetime">Tue, 08/15/2017 - 10:09</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The Blue Sky Solar Racing team gathers behind Polaris, the vehicle they will enter into the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (photos by Roberta Baker)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Tyler Irving</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/blue-sky-solar-racing" hreflang="en">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Ninth-generation solar vehicle to race 3,000 kilometres across Australia in the 2017 World Solar Challenge</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>茄子直播 Blue Sky Solar Racing team revealed Polaris, its ninth-generation vehicle, at a showcase event this week.</p> <p>鈥淧olaris, the north star, has guided northern adventurers for centuries,鈥 says Blue Sky managing director <strong>Frank Gu</strong>, a fourth year undergraduate student. 鈥淲e hope that she will guide us toward a top five finish at the <a href="https://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/event-information/route_map">2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge</a>.鈥</p> <p>Blue Sky Solar Racing remains the only Canadian team of more than 40 in the competition, including groups from the United States, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and many other countries.&nbsp;</p> <p>The 茄子直播 team placed 12th in the 2015 competition and 8th in 2013. Last, year, they placed third in the American Solar Challenge, an eight-day race covering more than 3,000 kilometres through the American Midwest.</p> <p>Gu says that the team, consisting&nbsp;of students in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, made major upgrades to the solar, electrical and mechanical systems in preparation for the five-day, 3,000-kilometre race across the Australian Outback.</p> <p>鈥淭he overall aerodynamic packaging has been preserved, including the way the shell adds to its structural strength,鈥 says Gu. 鈥淎nd of course, it has four wheels and a similar mechanical layout. But everything else, inside and out, is new.鈥</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5526 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2017-08-15-blue-sky-embed.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>This includes a state-of-the-art silicon solar cells, manufactured by industry partner SunPower, that achieve greater than 24 per cent efficiency. It also includes new lithium-ion batteries and a new&nbsp;brushless DC electric motor, replacing the previous models, which were ten years old.</p> <p>鈥淲ith this motor, the magnetics actually slide in and out, similar to how a gearshift works on a car,鈥 says Gu. 鈥淚t allows for us to adapt to different situations: high-efficiency cruising, climbing hills or overtaking our competitors.鈥</p> <p>Gu has been running the Blue Sky Solar Racing team for two years, taking over just after the previous World Solar Challenge in 2015, where he was part of the crew. Managing a team of up to 100 team members in addition to his own studies has been a real challenge, but Gu takes it in stride.</p> <p>鈥淓very day there is a list of things I need to do, and I just keep doing it,鈥 he said.</p> <p>This year, the team鈥檚 goal is to crack the top five.</p> <p>鈥淓verything that we鈥檝e done so far, every design decision, every aspect of the car that鈥檚 been worked on, has been done with that objective in mind,鈥 says Gu.</p> <p>The project hasn鈥檛 been without its challenges: for example, the recent political turmoil in Qatar affected the logistics of shipping the vehicle to Australia for the race. But Gu says that鈥檚 part of why he signed up in the first place.</p> <p>鈥淢anaging a team like this gives you a really good understanding of how to make things flow in the world, how to manage people and how to make a business run,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 better than any business course you could take.鈥</p> <p>Follow the Blue Sky Solar Racing team on <a href="https://twitter.com/blueskysolar77">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blueskysolar/">Facebook</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 15 Aug 2017 14:09:29 +0000 ullahnor 112566 at Blue Sky Solar Racing celebrates 20th anniversary /news/blue-sky-solar-racing-celebrates-20th-anniversary <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Blue Sky Solar Racing celebrates 20th anniversary</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-17-blue-sky-solar.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gNt_avC8 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-17-blue-sky-solar.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6P5wLvtv 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-17-blue-sky-solar.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=vEuMaoa- 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-17-blue-sky-solar.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gNt_avC8" alt="Photo of Blue Sky Solar Racing Team's car"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-17T15:57:54-05:00" title="Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 15:57" class="datetime">Thu, 11/17/2016 - 15:57</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo courtesy of Blue Sky Solar Racing)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alicia-sgromo" hreflang="en">Alicia Sgromo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Alicia Sgromo</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/solar-cars" hreflang="en">Solar Cars</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/engineering" hreflang="en">Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mars" hreflang="en">MaRS</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/blue-sky-solar-racing" hreflang="en">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Over its two-decade history, the University of Toronto鈥檚 <a href="http://www.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca/">Blue Sky Solar Racing Team</a> has faced its share of challenges and triumphs, but one thing has remained constant 鈥&nbsp;the team keeps moving forward, always chasing the sun.</p> <p>Established in 1996 as the 鈥淏lue Sky Project,鈥&nbsp;a group of intrepid 茄子直播 Engineering students designs, builds and races a&nbsp;car thousands of kilometres, powered only by the sun鈥檚 rays.</p> <p>On Nov.&nbsp;18, current Blue Sky members, team alumni, sponsors, friends and family gather together to reflect on some key moments in the team鈥檚 evolution&nbsp;and toast its future.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2558 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/Horizon-Test-Run-2016_600x400_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"><br> <em>The Blue Sky Solar Racing team's latest vehicle, Horizon, makes a test run in 2016. The team is currently working on its ninth vehicle, to race at the 2017 World Solar Challenge in Australia. (photo courtesy of&nbsp;Blue Sky Solar Racing)</em></p> <p>This timeline chronicles key moments in the history of Blue Sky Solar Racing:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="650" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1qutpDSDDvNYiGN0LimBCXKZoKaL-xuzEIESwSdJLDPk&amp;font=Default&amp;lang=en&amp;initial_zoom=2&amp;height=650" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 17 Nov 2016 20:57:54 +0000 ullahnor 102440 at Bronze medal finish for 茄子直播鈥檚 Blue Sky Solar Racing team at the American Solar Challenge 2016 /news/bronze-medal-finish-u-t-s-blue-sky-solar-racing-team-american-solar-challenge-2016 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bronze medal finish for 茄子直播鈥檚 Blue Sky Solar Racing team at the American Solar Challenge 2016</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/206-08-08-solar-car.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=j8yjpxa5 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/206-08-08-solar-car.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jUNeg2cl 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/206-08-08-solar-car.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=u9vAm4ga 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/206-08-08-solar-car.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=j8yjpxa5" alt="photo of solar car on highway"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-08-08T16:18:55-04:00" title="Monday, August 8, 2016 - 16:18" class="datetime">Mon, 08/08/2016 - 16:18</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Horizon, the solar car designed, built and raced by the University of Toronto鈥檚 Blue Sky Solar Racing team races across Missouri on August 3 during Day 4 of the American Solar Challenge 2016 (photos courtesy: Blue Sky Solar Racing)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/engineering-strategic-communications" hreflang="en">Engineering Strategic Communications</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Engineering Strategic Communications</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/solar-racing" hreflang="en">Solar Racing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/blue-sky-solar-racing" hreflang="en">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto's Blue Sky Solar Racing team has finished third in the <a href="http://americansolarchallenge.org/the-competition/ascfsgp-2016/">American Solar Challenge</a>&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">an eight-day, rally-style solar car race.</span></p> <p>Horizon, the solar car designed, built and raced by the 茄子直播&nbsp;team, zipped across the finish line Saturday to cheers and shouts from its&nbsp;18-member race crew.</p> <p>The event. which is divided into four stages, covers&nbsp;1,975 miles (3,178 kilometres) through the American Midwest states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, finishing at Wind Cave National Park near Hot Springs, South Dakota.</p> <p>Horizon, <a href="http://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/blue-sky-solar-racing-team-reveals-new-solar-powered-vehicle-horizon/">an eighth-generation vehicle</a>, made the trip with an official time of 62 hours, 11 minutes and three seconds, powered only by electricity generated from sunlight.</p> <p>Of the 16 solar car teams from colleges and universities across Canada, the United States and Switzerland that qualified to race, only 11 completed the challenging course.</p> <p>鈥淲e always knew this would be an incredible experience, but to place third is really special,鈥 said Engineering student&nbsp;<strong>Frank Gu</strong>, managing director of the Blue Sky Solar Racing team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tribute to the hard work of all the team members who have spent countless hours designing, building and testing this vehicle over the last two years.鈥</p> <h2><a href="/news/blue-sky-solar-racing-university-toronto">Read more about the Blue Sky Solar Racing team</a></h2> <p>Horizon was <a href="http://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/blue-sky-solar-racing-team-reveals-new-solar-powered-vehicle-horizon/">officially unveiled last summer</a>, and in October competed in the biennial World Solar Challenge in Australia, where it placed 12th in a field of 27 vehicles. Since racing in Australia, the team has made some modifications to meet the safety regulations of the American Solar Challenge.</p> <p>The vehicle鈥檚 body is designed for aerodynamic efficiency and in June, the team took it to Ottawa for <a href="http://www.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca/?p=2283">testing at the National Research Council鈥檚 wind tunnel</a>. Horizon鈥檚 upgraded solar array and new batteries offer improved performance and reduced weight compared to previous-generation vehicles.&nbsp;</p> <p>Blue Sky Solar Racing is composed of students from across all engineering disciplines. Specialist groups, under the guidance of a 鈥榯eam lead,鈥 focus on particular tasks, such as maximizing the power from the photovoltaic array or optimizing the airflow around the body鈥檚 surface. The students are also responsible for logistics, sponsorship and outreach, and have showcased Horizon at a wide range of events, including <a href="http://www.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca/?p=2271">exotic car shows</a> and <a href="http://www.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca/?p=2335">maker festivals</a>.</p> <p>鈥淥n behalf of the Faculty, my warmest congratulations to the entire team,鈥 said <strong>Cristina Amon</strong>, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering. 鈥淲e are tremendously proud and inspired to see our students shine on the world stage. The competencies our students have developed through this multidisciplinary project will serve them well as they take their place among the next generation of global engineering leaders.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="photo of solar team" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1654 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-08-08-Race-team-%281%29.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; margin: 10px 40px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 08 Aug 2016 20:18:55 +0000 lanthierj 99929 at Blue Sky Solar Racing at the University of Toronto /news/blue-sky-solar-racing-university-toronto <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Blue Sky Solar Racing at the University of Toronto</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-07-22-blue-sky-lead2B7A3551.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VLVz459b 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-07-22-blue-sky-lead2B7A3551.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=A0qiUfSC 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-07-22-blue-sky-lead2B7A3551.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-8cYsNdF 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-07-22-blue-sky-lead2B7A3551.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VLVz459b" alt="photo of students assembling car"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-07-22T16:21:01-04:00" title="Friday, July 22, 2016 - 16:21" class="datetime">Fri, 07/22/2016 - 16:21</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(All photos by Marit Mitchell, Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/engineering" hreflang="en">Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/blue-sky-solar-racing" hreflang="en">Blue Sky Solar Racing</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Three hours before they were scheduled to set off for Pittsburgh and the American Solar Challenge, the members of the Blue Sky Racing Club had a problem.</p> <p>The maximum power point tracker 鈥 the module that relays power from the solar panels on the top of the car to the various systems below, including the electric motor 鈥 was overheating.&nbsp;</p> <p>Think of it as the solar-powered-car equivalent of heart failure.</p> <p>鈥淭his is a very complicated circuit that has been optimized over a decade,鈥 <strong>Frank Gu</strong>, the second-year electrical and computer engineering student who serves as Blue Sky managing director, explained in a remarkably calm voice.</p> <p>鈥淥ur latest revision included an upgrade to the amount of power allowed on this board. But the inductor is not behaving the way it should and is getting very hot.鈥</p> <p><img alt="photo of car being assembled" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1541 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-blue-sky-embed-car-assembly2B7A3536.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Happily, swapping the inductor with a factory-made unit resolved the problem, much as a bypass (or other procedure short of a transplant) might repair a human heart.</p> <p>鈥淎ll of the software stuff, we can fix on the road, on the fly,鈥 Gu added, without even a soup莽on of urgency. 鈥淏ut we want to make sure that the hardware is OK.鈥</p> <p>While the electrical people worked on the inductor swap, other students attended to myriad other matters in and around the Engineering Annex workshop. That鈥檚 where this undergraduate club upholds the almost two-decade-old Blue Sky tradition of manufacturing race-worthy solar-powered cars for the love of it.</p> <p><img alt="photo of students packing" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1539 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-blue-sky-solar-packing-2.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>鈥淎 lot of stuff we鈥檙e taking down to Pittsburgh,鈥 noted <strong>Sean Doughty</strong>, the engineering science student in charge of mechanics and manufacturing. 鈥淎s the pressure increases, everyone just keeps working. We always get it done one way or the other.鈥</p> <p>Duties on this final morning were as fundamental as lifting and securing the 230-kilogram Horizon 鈥 as this latest edition of the Blue Sky Solar Racing car is evocatively named 鈥 into a trailer and as mundane (but crucial in their own way) as packing the sleeping bags and camping gear.</p> <p><img alt="photo of students packing" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1538 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-blue-sky-packing.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>The 18 students from the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering at the core of the Blue Sky team will not be sleeping at the Ramada, or even the KOA. The first overnight of the two-week-plus adventure would be on the grounds of the Pittsburgh International Speedway in Wampum, Pennsylvania, where the cars built by 20 university solar clubs from across the continent are subjected to technical compliance inspections by American Solar Challenge scrutineers.</p> <p>The race (or 鈥渞ayce,鈥 as the Solar Challenge organizers cleverly render it) starts in earnest on July 30 at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Brecksville, Ohio, with a checkpoint at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (where the Wright Brothers conducted many of their experiments in heavier-than-air flight).</p> <p>Other stops are in Vincennes, Indiana; St. Louis and Republic (both Missouri); Topeka, Kansas; Beatrice and Gering (both Nebraska) before reaching the chequered flag on Aug. 6 at Wind Cave National Park in Hot Springs, South Dakota.</p> <p>Some of these municipalities are near public parks and campsites but it is not inconceivable that the Blue Sky squad might find itself sequestered on the grounds of a hospitable church or high school.</p> <p>In any case, accommodations are likely to be less rugged than they were last October in biennial World Solar Challenge in Australia, where the Horizon finished an honourable 12th in a field of 27 in the Challenger Class. (One of the more memorable camping sites in the Outback needed to be cleared of cowpies.)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A_5IAqmtGcc" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Most of the technical adjustments the Blue Sky people have made to Horizon over past two weeks are intended to meet the American Solar Challenge safety regulations, which differ from those that prevailed in Australia.</p> <p>Strange to say, attaching the body of the car (principally the design of Blue Sky alumnus <strong>Neil Wu</strong>) to the chassis at the World Solar Challenge was simply a matter of applying a high grade of tape (not duct tape, the participants insist, with much laughter). This simple but effective method had the added beneficial effect of sealing the seam completely from outside air.</p> <p>The American Solar Challenge requires top and bottom to be attached by buckled fasteners. Rollbar dimensions in the cockpit are also different.&nbsp;</p> <p>Regulations in <a href="http://americansolarchallenge.org/ASC/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ASC-2016-Regs-External-Revision-C.pdf">the 63-page rulebook</a> are many and detailed.</p> <p>鈥淪olar cars must be equipped with a horn that can be heard at a sound power level between 75 and 102 dBA at a distance of 15 metres in front of the solar car鈥 is one of the simpler examples.</p> <p>Cellphones are allowed but must be hands-free. Communication with drivers is frequent and necessary. Solar cars are built for efficiency on uninterrupted flat terrain, not the unpredictable conditions that prevail on country roads in Ohio.</p> <p><img alt="photo of student and partly assembled car" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1542 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-car-embed-circuit-board2B7A3589.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>鈥淣obody takes roadkill in account when designing a solar car,鈥 Zhe Gong, Gu鈥檚 predecessor as Blue Sky managing director and now a member of the safety oversight group, notes outside the workshop. 鈥淭hey just send a vehicle ahead to clean up.鈥</p> <p>Indeed, the team in the lead endures a disproportionate burden of this unenviable duty.</p> <p>The American Solar Challenge will differ from the Australian experience in presenting more hills and dales to negotiate with maximum efficiency. Student drivers (there are two for Blue Sky) must take care to finesse the accelerator. 鈥淔looring it鈥 carries the risk of stalling.</p> <p>The 鈥渞ayce鈥 unfolds over eight days and 1,975 miles (the American Solar Challenge speaks in miles rather than kilometres). Performance is based on the elapsed time of consecutive daytime runs.</p> <p>鈥淭hat would be pretty funny, if a solar car race went through the night,鈥 Gu comments.</p> <p><img alt="photo of car being pushed towards trailer" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1543 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-blue-sky-into-trailer2B7A3609.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Forward motion is derived from the sun but a battery is necessary to buffer power during cloudy periods. Even five or ten seconds of cloud cover would otherwise bring the Horizon to a standstill. Teams are allowed to recharge their batteries through solar exposure in the evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., when all batteries must be locked away.</p> <p>American Solar Challenge official police this activity, but a spirit of goodwill prevails. Participants share insights and even parts if competing teams find themselves in difficulty.</p> <p>鈥淚 think this kind of experience is fantastic for all our students,鈥 Professor <strong>Jun Nogami</strong>, chair of the department of materials science and engineering, who dropped by on this busy morning to convey his best wishes.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 hand-on learning, it鈥檚 working in a team, and it鈥檚 working to a real deadline. It offers something completely different from what you learn in the classroom.鈥</p> <p>While the point of every race is to win, the unspoken objective of the Blue Sky team is to finish high in the middle of the pack. Unlike the Challenger Class of the World Solar Challenge, the American Solar Challenge permits three-wheeled cars, which have a natural advantage.</p> <p>The odds of a Blue Sky victory might be long with so many three-wheelers in the field, but winning in this case 鈥 pace Henry Russell Sanders and&nbsp;Vince Lombardi 鈥 is not the only thing.</p> <p>鈥淭hey have a 100-percent chance of learning something,鈥 Gong says of the Blue Sky students. 鈥淭hat is what really counts.鈥<br> &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;For information on the American Solar Challenge and updates go to <a href="http://americansolarchallenge.org/">http://americansolarchallenge.org/</a></p> <p><img alt="photo of trailer" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1544 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-07-22-trailer.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 22 Jul 2016 20:21:01 +0000 lanthierj 14760 at