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SOLEON DAY 1: U of C's solar car forges through Australian heat

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September 25, 2005

Source: University of Calgary:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/sept05/soleon_day1.html

SOLEON DAY 1: U of C's solar car forges through Australian heat

(LARRIMAH, Aust.) – Legendary road trains, willy-willies (dust-devils), and tenacious black flies: the Australian Outback deservedly has a formidable reputation. On Sunday, the University of Calgary Solar Car team took everything it dished out – including 38-degree temperatures – and kept on rolling during the first day of the Panasonic World Solar Challenge.

The team overcame several mechanical setbacks caused by the heat and, despite losing close to an hour on repairs, still traveled an impressive 487 kilometres. The U of C sits in 14^th place among the 21 vehicles participating in the 3,000-kilometre odyssey from Darwin, Australia, to Adelaide.

" Our motor controller, which is the device that regulates the power going into the motor, overheated a couple of times and forced us to pull off the road to let it cool down," said Colby Bell, the team's project manager and mechanical manager. "We removed a couple of wheel covers to improve the air flow to the controller, which seems to have corrected the problem. We were also having trouble with getting power from a section of the solar array, but that's also been solved by improving the air flow."

Soleon, the name of the U of C vehicle, started the day in 11th place. By day's end, it reached the turnoff to the Gorrie Airfield, which was used in the Second World War. The team spent the night camped in a clearing near the Stuart Highway, well within earshot of the three and four-trailer long trucks called road trains that barrel along at high speed.

Breakdowns weren't uncommon on the first day of racing, and several teams were sidelined to work out first-day bugs. Despite the glitches, Soleon averaged about 70 kilometres an hour. By comparison, Nuna 3, one of the top cars in the race built by the Dutch team from the Technical University of Delft, will likely average close to 100 km/h.

" It was challenging out there today," said Kyle Rebryna, a geology student who drove the first part of the day to Katherine, about 300 kilometres south of Darwin. "There was a lot more road vibration than what we're used to and it was a lot noisier. But I kept myself well-hydrated and feel pretty good."

The day ended with the the reigning champion Nuna 3 team in first place and about 15 minutes out in front of the University of Michigan, which won the North American Solar Challenge. An Australian team from Victoria is in third. The University of Western Ontario, the only other Canadian team participating, had to trailer its vehicle to Katherine.

In an impressive comeback, the team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology managed to make it to the start line Sunday morning and finished the day in 6th place. On Saturday the MIT car rolled during time trials at the Hidden Valley Race Track. The driver was uninjured, but the car sustained serious damage to several sections of its solar array.

The University of New South Wales, which had also been counted out, also managed to make some 11th hour repairs and started the race.

Teams race from 8 am to 5 pm and make camp wherever they find themselves. The next checkpoint for the U of C team is in Dunmarra, about 120 kilometres away.

For more information, or to arrange for an interview with one of the U of C Solar Car Team Members, contact Media Relations Advisor Greg Harris, who is traveling with the team, at (403) 997-0107 (satellite phone). To speak to someone in Calgary, contact Colleen Turner, (403) 650-1153.

The University of Calgary, the Schulich School of Engineering and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy are jointly supporting U of C participation in the World Solar Challenge.

The U of C is one of North America's leading centres for energy studies, including research on responsible and environmentally sound methods – such as solar power – that will ensure a sustainable energy supply.

The Schulich School of Engineering is the fastest-growing engineering faculty in Canada. The School is committed to being First Choice in Canada for accredited engineering education, for internationally acclaimed research, and for service to the community and the engineering profession.

The Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy is a unique, collaborative institute that develops new methods and technology to unlock energy resources and protect the environment for future generations.


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