Hello UC Solar Team Followers
First things first. Sorry for not updating our blog in such a long time, rest assured however the team has been working extremely hard on developing our newest car. The mechanical team has been running on all cylinders, and here is just a quick snapshot of what they have been up to. The plug (male mold of the car) has been produced! This is a huge step forward as it allows to start producing the mold for the aeroshell. The chassis team has been doing design work and producing mock chassis, as well as doing material testing in preparation for developing the prototype frame. Suspension is being designed and built.
Our Electrical team has been motoring along quiet well also, and here is a bit of the work they have been doing. The solar cells have arrived! We are preparing to do testing on all of the cells to determine which ones to use on the car, and are working on developing methods to put them together into panels. We are implementing and testing improvements to our battery management systems. We have been testing different motor controllers, and will soon be testing different motors. The goal is to determine which motor and controller is most efficient for us under different conditions. Our instrumentation team has also been hard at working improving car communications.
Everything is slowly coming together and we are looking to have a prototype completed in September for testing.
We would also like to give thanks to all those people who came out to see our team and car at the following events.
May 31 - Lilac Festival - we showcased our car, and the lilac festival had an attendance of over 100,000
June 3 - Showcased car at Mayor's Environment Expo
June 5 - Sneak a Peek to Campus Fair (showcased car to school groups)
June 6 - Campus Fair
Stay tuned for more updates, as the team is hitting our summer build phase.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Update!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Keeping Up To Date
To keep everyone up to date with the solar team's progress, here is some information as to what we have been doing over the past while. At the end of last year, we researched materials, designs, and cells that could be used on the car to make it more aerodynamic and efficient.
Recently the mechanical team has tested various small models of some early designs in a wind tunnel for drag resistance and lift. They are now taking some of the better designs and programming them into software to perform further tests and analysis. They are continually researching how to make the car better. They are also close to deciding what material we will be using for the chassis (chromoly, steel, or carbon fibre).
The electrical team has spent a lot of time trying to find solar cells to purchase, and weighing the pros and cons of the different types of cells. We are very close to making a decision on this. The electrical team is currently organizing various projects to help familiarize the team with the components of the electrical system.
The engineering team recently had a design review in which the team presented their ideas to other team members, members of the University, and members of industry who agreed to attend. The purpose of the review is to get different viewpoints on the ideas, and make sure that everything is moving on the right track.
The business team has been organizing different events, such as the Louis Riel visit last month. Looking forward, we will be visiting Colonel Macleod Junior High School next week and will be attending the Auto Show in March. We are currently beginning to actively look for sponsors for the gen 3 vehicle. A successful recruitment drive has added six new members to the business team to help with events, community relations, accounting, and logistics.
In all, we have been fairly busy and will keep on working hard keep the project rolling.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Louis Riel School Visit
Kicking off the 2009 year, the solar team welcomed the grade 3 and 4 classes of Louis Riel School. What better way to learn about solar cars than a Friday morning here at the University of Calgary. Mariam and Matthew lead the event with a presentation about the technologies and construction of Soleon and Schulich 1, our first two cars. Schulich 1 was supposed to make an appearance around the Science Theaters, but because of heavy snow, it couldn't be moved out of the shop. I guess we didn't budget enough for snow tires this year. Maybe next year. 
After the presentation, the kids hiked way into the north-west campus to visit the shop where the solar team was keeping Schulich 1. This was where Ravi explained the design and components of Schulich 1 and took questions for the kids. In all, we believe the kids had a fun time, learnt a little, and we may have some future solar car drivers on our hands!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Final Results
Crossing the finish lines was amazing and a huge relief for me! We were home safe and sound without so much as a scrape (although with a few bug bites) or an emotional meltdown by any of our team members.
Grady was on the phone constantly as we drove from Medicine Hat to Calgary. When we called Angela Knight (the CBC traffic reporter) she starting updating the city every half hour of our route. As we drove the TCH people were camped out at every farm crossing and road. We were well out in front of all of the teams (novel experience for us in the Chuckwagon as we passed Michigan in Brooks - they were only doing 110!!)
And everyone honked at us as well. Our route to the school was the most direct so we missed the crowds but, from the city limits on, the streets were lined with families and well-wishers. Calgary gave these students a hero's welcome. Grady and I dumped our S10 and carried the flags and media kits to the finish to hugs and greetings from so many people. President Harvey Weingartner and Dean Elizabeth Cannon were so excited to see us and were full of questions. As the checkered flag holders they were ready to bring everyone home in style. The University really put on a show with a huge enviro fair and pit area for the teams. Kids, families and onlookers were amazed to see the cars up close and many autographs were given. Now all of us feel like rockstars!
True to my promise I was there to wave in Durham who trailered to the finish at 4:30 and then drove across the ceremonial line to my waving flags. They came home with me for newcastle Brown Ale (first beer in a loonng time) and barbecue. Without funds nor hotel room, they camped out all over our house and the car on the driveway was a big hit with Ben and Henry across the road!
Pancakes for breakfast and then the awards ceremony at the Zoo and it's all over! I finally got some sleep last night - 16 hours into the sleep bank - today I'll clean out the S10. You gotta feel for Grady - he went from the finish line to the airport for a 27 hour flight to papua new guinea where he will follow a Light up the World project. He must be quite discombobulated!
Thanks again for your cheers and support. We will all take the week off to reconnect with kith and kin and then do a big debrief of the car and race before we even begin to think of our generation 3 car. Of course, that's assuming there is a generation 3!!
