There’s no better way to see the county than on the classic road trip with the sun at your back and nothing but open highway ahead of you. Now imagine never having to stop to fill up your gas tank because all the power you’ll need it shining down from the sky. That’s the reality of solar car racing, combining high-tech engineering and ingenuity with the thrill of competitive racing. Teams from around the world compete in staged races held regularly. One such team is the group at Western Michigan University. Led by advisor Abraham Poot, the Sunseeker team is a force to be reckoned with, and is the winner of April’s Project of the Month.

Though there are several staff advisors, the WMU team is comprised entirely of students who devote their time for no reward other than the satisfaction of a job well done. Their most recent effort in the 2003 American Solar Challenge brought home a 5th place finish, as well as the coveted Gold Award for best overall design.

The Sunseeker is the result of years of design and construction, utilizing heavy doses of composite materials. The build started as a modification of WMU’s 1999 car design. The ’99 mold was modified slightly into its current design and a new array mold was built from scratch. The lay-up began during 2002’s fall semester. The bottom, load bearing section, was constructed primarily with carbon fiber, epoxy, and a Nomex honeycomb core. A fiberglass and carbon fiber chassis was also inserted before the entire piece was vacuum bagged. The resulting structure was so stiff that the entire 90” body flexed a mere .05 inches at its worst point.

The top section of the car that housed the solar array was constructed of thin layers of fiberglass. The decision of fiberglass over carbon fiber was largely due to conductivity issues. The high conductivity of carbon fiber posed potential problems for proper behavior of the solar panels.

The construction ended in March 2003, 6 weeks prior to May’s prequalifier. This allowed ample time for testing and inspections. The final car’s weight, driver included, was approximately 625 pounds. This was quite a substantial improvement over the previous car’s 1000 pound weight. While much of these weight savings were the result of improved battery technology, increased composite use cut approximately 100 pounds off the total weight.

Before the Sunseeker was allowed to race, it had to be qualified. This inspection covers all the car’s systems and mechanical components. Of the 30 cars entered in the 2003 American Solar Challenge, only 20 were qualified. WMU’s program is one of the few to enter, qualify, and finish every race since its inception in 1990. This race went from Chicago to California, lasting about 11 days. Despite some setbacks including a broken rear suspension and a few wrong turns, the Sunseeker rolled in mere hours behind the leaders, Missouri – Rolla, taking an impressive 5th place finish.

Aside from the race aspect of the competition, the cars are also judged by professional engineers in the categories of construction, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as overall design. The Sunseeker, with its extensive use of composites and advanced mechanical systems, took overall top honors, winning the gold award for design.

Building on past success, the WMU team is eagerly anticipating the 2005 race, which will start in Houston and lead north to Calgary. The Sunseeker, as well as the entire WMU team, will be ready and look to improve on their 5th place honors.

 
For more information on the WMU’s Sunseeker, visit them on the web at www.wmich.edu/sunseeker

To learn more about the American Solar Challenge, check out www.americansolarchallenge.org

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