The UMsolar team could not be the high-achieving team it is without peers at other institutions raising the bar and pushing what it takes to win. But just how many other solar car teams are out there? The exact number is difficult to determine, since every year new teams band together and old teams disintegrate, but by examining the last two major solar car races, the American Solar Challenge and the Word Solar Challenge, reasonable estimates can be made. There are approximately 70 solar car teams in the world today- about 20 of which are American-based teams and about 50 of which are international.

Out of the roughly 70 solar car teams in the world today, only 3 teams that we know of (UMsolar, Iowa State, and MIT) have made 10 solar cars in their team history. The 11th is on its way!

Technical Wednesdays Are Here!

Today’s Feature: The Nitty Gritty Details of the Motor

Are you ready for the nitty gritty details of the motor?  Engineer and UMsolar Crew Chief of 2009 John Federspiel explains his favorite piece of the car.

John and the Solar Car

If you’ve ever stopped by at a UMsolar event and asked the question “how does it go?” or “where is the motor?” you’ve probably gotten a response that went something like, “the solar car uses a 98% efficient CSIRO, DC, 3 phase, in-hub, brushless motor.”  For those of you who didn’t immediately nod and think to yourselves, ‘of course’, John’s here to break it down for you.

CSIRO
CSIRO motors are small, lightweight motors.  The lightness allows the team to further minimize drag and increase the aerodynamic features of the car.  CSIRO stands for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and is Australia’s national science agency.  This postage stamp-sized, 2 minute video explains what CSIRO is all about.  But what does the rest of, “CSIRO, DC, 3 Phase, in-hub, brushless motor” mean, you ask?  Read on.

DC
DC stands for Direct Current.  Direct current is the type of energy provided by the battery or by a solar cell.  Direct Current is in contrast to AC, or Alternating Current, which is the type of energy that comes out of your outlet at home.  One major difference is that DC current always flows in one direction, whereas AC current alternates between going forwards and backwards dozens of times per second.   Still awake?

3 Phase
3 Phase describes the way in which the power is applied to the motor in order to achieve rotation. This spiffy page gives you a moving model of 3 Phase.

In-hub
In-hub means the motor is incorporated directly into the wheel as opposed to having a transmission that transfers the motor’s power to the wheels.  In-hub motors allow for greater efficiency.  And now on to the very last term…

Brushless
Brushless refers to the type of motor.  In brushless motors the electrical windings are stationary and the housing has permanent magnets that rotate with the wheel.  You can read on about the more technical aspects of brushless versus brushed motors here.

Do you still have questions about the motor?  Post them up!  John’s happy to answer them.
Also, if you have a topic you’d like to see explained next Wednesday, post that, too

Many people are curious why the team is being crushed beneath the solar car in some of the website gallery photos. By not laying the car directly on the ground, they protect the delicate array of solar panels from being scratched by any gravel or dirt on the ground. They’re also angling the array at the optimal angle so that the most sunshine can be harnessed. It’s not as uncomfortable as it looks, since the car separates into two pieces. The piece you see in the picture is the top half of the car and it actually isn’t that heavy. The race crew is going to be announced next month, so we’ll have a whole new batch of people to balance the car on.

Today was Charity Preview Night at the NAIAS.  This was the third and last preview that UMsolar participated in (Press Preview and Industry Preview were the first two).  Tomorrow the show will finally open to the public at 9 am.

Rachel and Chris with fellow engineer and Ford CEO Alan Mulally

Chris Hilger (Business and Operations Director) and Rachel Kramer (Project Manager) had fun dressing to the nines and spreading their enthusiasm for solar car.  They sat behind the wheel of a lot of cars and had the chance to talk to Bill Ford Jr. (Chairman of Ford), Gerhard Schmidt (CTO Ford), Rick Snyder (Michigan Governor), and David Cole (Chairman Center for Automotive Research).

Chris looking snazzy with the solar car

As a team we spend countless hours working on perfecting our car for the World Solar Car Challenge, where we look forward to racing in the Australian Outback against the most competitive teams in the world. Week after week teams around the globe spend hundreds of hours refining a car that they hope will finish first. Few actually consider how this monumental project started.

It began with a Danish man named Hans Tholstrup. An adventurer, Hans had already circumnavigated Australia in a small boat called, “Tom Thumb,” before deciding to build his own solar car and cross the Australian continent in it in 1982. He named the car, “Quiet Achiever.” When asked what the point of this daredevil feat was, Hans replied, “It may take a lot longer to see what the Solar Trek may lead to, but if it will motivate just one more idea and thought in the development of solar power, then the venture will have been well worthwhile.”

The route that he traveled inspired the World Solar Challenge that we compete in today. His car traveled 2,800 miles in 20 days across the severe outback. He drove at the leisurely pace of about 14 mph, whereas UMsolar’s car can reach speeds of 105 mph. But 29 years later, UMsolar does precisely what Hans did to start it all.  Travel far and work hard to hone technological innovations of the future.

Older photo from: http://www.snooksmotorsport.com.au/solartrek/Solar_Trek/bp_solar_car_crossing_of_austral.htm

Hans Now

Governor Rick Snyder with team member Julia Hawley at NAIAS 2011

Today Governor Rick Snyder made a stop at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, where he addressed leaders at the “MEDC Town Square”.  During the speech, he discussed “Reinventing” the State of Michigan by building on the entrepreneurial ventures of companies and universities. In addition, he expressed his confidence in the future successes of the Solar Car Team, going on to state that the members are “role models” who demonstrate the innovative spirit the state needs.

See below for an excerpt of the speech:

Last week UMsolar arrived at the North American International Auto Show to start preparations for the opening day. Today was it! The Auto Show is officially open to credentialed media as of Monday January 10th, and the solar car is displayed in style. We’d like to give you a sneak preview of what the public will be able to see when the doors open to everyone this Saturday, January 15th. Check out our Gallery for new photos from inside the Auto Show!

The Operations division standing at the on-campus storage site, in front of the first truckload of transferred equipment. Cecilia Yung, Eric Hausman, Ervin Lee, Katie Rulkowski, Aaron Frantz.

Since 1999, the U-M Solar Car Team has been based out of a workshop in Ypsilanti, MI. The space suits the team’s needs, but the location is a problem since the Ypsilanti workspace is 20 minutes away from the University of Michigan’s central campus. The team has always had at their disposal the College of Engineering’s workshop called the Wilson Center. But there’s never been enough room at this site.However, in December 2008 the Regents of the University approved a 10,000 square foot addition to the Wilson Center that included a large, new space for the Solar Car Team. Three years later, the addition is nearing completion, and the team is making preparations for the big move into UMsolar’s new workspace.

Armed with shelving and material racks, the operations division has been transforming a third location, the dusty on-campus space used for old plugs and molds, into a transitional space that can hold equipment that’s been moved out of Ypsilanti but has yet to be moved into the Wilson Center. Today the operation division moved the first load of equipment that included tents, sleeping bags, and cooking supplies from Ypsilanti and onto the on-campus location’s storage shelves.

The team will continue to move supplies from Ypsilanti to the transitory storage space, and the plan is to have everything out of Ypsilanti by late January. At that point, the Wilson Center will be ready for UMsolar, and then the even larger move from the on-campus storage site to the team’s permanent home in the Wilson Center will begin. We’ll post a behind-the-scenes video showing you our new place in the Wilson center in the coming weeks – stay tuned!

Quantum T-Shirts have arrived! We’d like to thank J.J. Jinkleheimer & Co of Howell for producing these fine-looking shirts, which feature the words “Michigan Solar Car” on the front and the Quantum logo on the back. Shirts are available for public purchase at publicity events (except the Auto Show) or as a free thank-you for donating to the team. Learn more about how you can support the team by visiting our Donate page.