The Media vehicle driving past Crystal Lake

As promised in the previous post about the Chase vehicle, the Media vehicle is the caravan’s most recent addition. With a greater chance of winning WSC than ever before, there has been a bigger push to gain exposure for the team for both our fans and sponsors.

Unlike the other vehicles mentioned in the caravan, the Media vehicle does not have a set spot as far as order goes when traveling with the team.  Instead, it varies based on what kind of photo or video footage we want to capture.  The Media vehicle was put into practice during Mock Race 2011 with Business Director, Chris Hilger, Head of New Media and Videographer, Evan Dougherty, our number one fan, Chuck Hutchins, and myself, Diane Thach.

Chris, Evan, and Chuck inside the Media vehicle

Each member had a different role in the vehicle – Evan captured footage for video updates, Chris drove and updated twitter/the livechat when he wasn’t driving, Chuck called past Michigan Alumni on the route to inform them about our team (thank you to all who came out to see the car drive by!), and I took photos of Quantum and the team throughout our journey.

However, it wasn’t easy to make all of this happen.  A lot of effort and good timing was put into keeping up with the solar car and caravan in order to take the best video and photos of Quantum.  To acquire profile shots and close up video of Quantum driving, it was important to drive in sync with the solar car.  In addition, taking a different route than the caravan was essential so Evan and I could be prepared for Quantum to drive by various scenic locations. We even had the opportunity to capture aerial shots of Quantum from an airplane owned by Carl Walker, providing once in a lifetime shots of Quantum that have never been produced before.

All of our videos and photos can be found on YouTube and Flickr.  Also, if you want to learn more about what is happening with the team, updates are always occurring through our Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts.  In the fall, the media vehicle will be at work again capturing footage of our time in Australia. But in the meantime, check back on our social media sites for information and our campaign to Win the World!

The solar car driving past the beautiful Crystal Lake

Please enjoy this example of a drive-by video made by Evan:

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Known as the vehicle that can be found directly behind the solar car, “Blue”, the Chase vehicle acts as the mobile command center for the team while racing.  Every decision on how to drive Quantum is made and discussed in Chase, as it holds the team’s strategists, including the Head Strategist, and the Crew Chief.

Driver Karl Nagengast doing last minute touch ups to Chase before Mock Race 2011

Within Chase is an immense amount of software and hardware, which requires a lot of setup time and effort. Equipped with a high precision Topcon GPS unit, anemometer, pyranometer, small pc, radio system, and various other wires and hardware, all the gear found within Chase would cost more than the vehicle itself at retail value.

The strategists (Aaresh Billmoria, AJ Trublowski, and David Benson-Putnins) decide on the optimal speed that the solar car should go based on the data they receive from the equipment found on and in the car.  Ultimately, Head Strategist, Santosh Kumar has the final call on how fast the car should go and that responsibility is shared with Crew Chief, Gerald Chang who decides if it is safe for Quantum to go that speed.

Chase in it's position in the caravan, following Quantum

The speed that Quantum needs to go is announced over the radio, a vital system to Chase and the entire caravan.  The radio lets Chase keep in contact with the caravan and lets the Crew Chief directly communicate with Blue to keep it safe: telling the driver  it’s clear to go through the traffic light, what the speed limit is, etc.  However, the radio isn’t the only way Chase keeps Blue safe. Its driver, Karl Nagengast, has the responsibility to physically block traffic for the solar car whenever it makes turns.

Lastly, in addition to the driver, strategists, Head Strategist, and Crew Chief, Chase also houses the observer.  Driving directly behind the solar car allows one to see everything it experiences, so Chase is the optimal spot for an outside official observer to sit and record everything that they see during the race.  They mark down anything from running red lights and speeding to  maneuvers the car performs that they feel are unsafe.  At the end of the race, officials will look through the log for anything that might deduct time or even disqualify teams from racing.

Overall, all the vehicles in the caravan are important to making the team operate: Weather predicts the forecast for racing, Scout checks and marks hazards, Lead blocks traffic and holds the engineers to fix the car, Blue puts us in the race, and Chase decides how Blue should run.  Check back later for information on a new addition to our caravan: the Media vehicle.

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Joe Menzia driving through Traverse City during Mock Race 2011.

Officially known as “Blue” within the caravan, Quantum is able to drive on normal roads just like any other vehicle. However, not everyone on the team is able to drive Blue – it takes special training, smaller hips, and willingness to drive in a constricted vehicle.

Ryan Mazur, Troy Halm, and Joe Menzia are currently the three designated drivers of Quantum.  In the solar car, the driver experiences temperatures that are hotter than outside and are restricted in a small and enclosed space.  Size is perhaps one of the biggest factors when considering a driver, for Infinium the driver could be 5’ 6” at the most to be able to fit.  For Quantum, the driver’s height isn’t considered as much, but they have to be 170 1bs or less and have the ability to get out in 10 seconds or less.

After deciding to want to drive the solar car, each driver goes through individual Ford training, where they are given the opportunity to drive on the skid-pad and practice driving.  Power Electrical Engineer, Joe Menzia states, “Training at Ford was helpful because I was able to learn driving techniques that I normally wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

One of the aerial shots of Troy Halm driving during Mock Race 2011.

Even though it can get uncomfortable in the car, many drivers would agree that it’s all worth it.  Mechanical Engineer, Troy Halm reconfirms, “[The solar car] is fun to drive because it’s a solar powered car and it’s cool to see people excited about the solar car – waving and giving you a thumbs up. There are also a lot of fun experiences, such as during Mock Race when I was able to drive while I knew there was a media crew taking aerial photos of me from an airplane.”

Micro Electrical Engineer, Ryan Mazur has driven Infinium for the team in ASC 2010, giving him more experience and reason to drive Quantum. However, Mazur didn’t always know he wanted to drive the solar car, “When I first joined solar car, I didn’t even think I would go on a race.  But now, I’m going to Australia and driving Quantum. In addition, one of the coolest thing about driving the solar car is having great caravan vehicles (Lead and Chase) that are there to protect and escort.”

Overall, Blue is the most important component and focus of the caravan and driving the solar car isn’t easy. But Head Strategist, Santosh Kumar states, “This is the best batch of drivers we’ve ever had, and ultimately, all three of them are capable of getting us a first place win in Australia this fall.”

Ryan Mazur driving Quantum out of the St. Joe control stop for Mock Race 2011.

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The Lead vehicle on Mock Race, with one of the amazing GM sponsored vehicles.

Just approximately 100 yards in front of the solar car, the Lead vehicle is a part of what the team deems as the “Main Caravan”. The main caravan includes the Lead vehicle, the solar car, and the Chase vehicle.

Within the Lead vehicle are the engineers and drivers, both mechanical and electrical. Therefore, Lead contains all of the equipment and spare parts necessary for any roadside stops that occur while racing. Whenever turns need to be made, Lead is also responsible for blocking oncoming traffic and protecting the solar car at all times.

Each individual has a role while racing, for example during Mock Race and WSC: Head of Sourcing, Blaine Riley is the driver and commander for Lead. Mechanical Engineer, Cole Witte serves as the navigator for Blaine and is the first person out of the vehicle for roadside breaks – chalking the car (putting the stop on the wheel so the car doesn’t move), and performing any other mechanical issues such as changing tires.

The main caravan shown performing a break on the road.

The other members switch off between monitoring telemetry (the battery information such as how much energy the battery has or how much energy the car is using), looking forward for any hazards on the road, keeping an eye on the solar car, and communicating across the radio system about hazards. The individual in charge of communicating through the radio lets the solar car and Chase know when there is debris in the road, what the speed limit is, and if there are any red lights, turns, or “red signs” within their path. It is important that stop signs are communicated as “red signs” because the word “stop” is only used in emergency situations.

Overall, the Lead vehicle’s role is to keep the solar car safe, whether it is through looking out for hazards or through blocking any cars that would become a threat. Learn more about the other vehicles in the main caravan tomorrow, getting an inside look into the solar car and its drivers, as well as the Chase vehicle.

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One of our previous Scout vehicles

As promised in yesterday’s blog post about the Weather vehicle, here is a description of the second car in our caravan, the Scout vehicle.  Although there is less scientific data involved with Scout than in Weather, it plays a significant role in ensuring our solar car’s safety.

Chito Garcia, who has driven Scout since he joined the team as an adviser in the early 90′s, will drive the vehicle while Operations Director, Ethan Larder (who has been in Scout with the Infinium  team for both ASC and WSC 2009), carries out the main responsibilities of the vehicle.  The main concerns of Scout are to look out for any road kill and to mark hazards that are found within the path of the solar car.  During the race, Ethan removes any road kill seen on the road and marks any hazards such as potholes or blind corners in spray paint.  This ensures the safety of the solar car and allows it to drive with fewer perils that would normally slow it down when racing.

Scout is conceivably one of the more high performance vehicles in the caravan as it is on the look out for any dangers that would affect the solar car.  Reacting fast to those dangers are important as well as directing the solar car in and out of control stops.  Scout makes sure that our Lead vehicle doesn’t need to stop for anything and helps to check the predetermined route so the main caravan (Lead, Chase and Quantum) doesn’t make any wrong turns.

An example of the array charging and being held up by the array stand that the Scout vehicle carries. WSC '09-Infinium.

In addition to reducing hazards, Scout has the responsibility to carry the array stand and make sure the campsite is ready once the solar car arrives.  Scout works together with Weather to determine where the team should camp, finding a place most suitable and large enough.  With having camp all set up, this allows the team to immediately take off the array and let it charge as much as possible before the end of the day.

Check back tomorrow where we will discuss the process and details of finding and setting up camp: one of the responsibilities of both the Weather and Scout vehicles.

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The Weather vehicle in action during WSC.

When racing in WSC and ASC, there are a number of vehicles that work as a team to ensure the greatest success possible, known as the caravan.  The leader of these vehicles is called the Weather vehicle.  The Weather vehicle leads with several miles between them and the main caravan (Lead, the solar car, and Chase), and just before our Scout vehicle (read more about this vehicle tomorrow).

Currently, our weather vehicle contains Project Manager, Rachel Kramer, and Meteorologist, Jordan Feight, but will also carry advisers during WSC.  The primary role of the car is to collect weather data and to relay the information to the strategists so they can figure out how to efficiently control the solar car.  In addition, they are responsible (in conjunction with Scout) to determine the campsite for the team to stay at night.  With having the project manager in the leading vehicle, there is also the benefit of being able to speak to officials before the main caravan arrives if there are any problems or concerns.

Jordan testing the weather equipment in preparation.

The meteorologist has the advantage of letting the other members know the current and future weather conditions.  Jordan first looks at initial weather conditions and general patterns, then at predictive weather models, which allow him to analyze the information that he has collected.  Clouds, solar radiation, and wind are the biggest factors to consider when looking at the forecast, providing the reason for the pyranometer (measures solar radiation) and anemometer (measures wind speed) attached to the car.

Clouds are perhaps one of the most difficult items in weather to predict, making it a challenge for Jordan to anticipate conditions.  However, with the right equipment available, wind speed is slightly easier to determine – helping the strategists figure out how fast the car should go based on the drag created by direction.

Overall, the weather vehicle helps provide useful information for the strategists to use in determining the conditions the solar car should be running on.  It, of course, isn’t the only vehicle in the caravan, but is part of a team of four that will be discussed in the future.  Check back tomorrow for a post about the next vehicle in the caravan, the Scout vehicle.

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This past weekend, members of the 2010 race crew practiced caravanning with Infinium for the first time. It was a very exciting experience for new members and the general public alike. As the caravan drove through Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, many heads were turned and motorists often pulled out cameras.

The experience went well and helped lead and chase drivers learn how to block traffic. It was also good practice for lead to call out the conditions of the road ahead. Issues with calling lights early were noted and ironed out. As well as this first road test went, it was not without incident. One turn was missed at the beginning of the route. Instead of making a difficult left turn, the caravan headed back to the workspace and started over. Crew chief Gerald Chang also had to get out of chase and push Infinium through two dangerous intersections. Finally, uncooperative weather caused the main caravan to pull off the road twice so that rainwater could be wiped from Infinium’s windshield.

Caravanning In Ann Arbor: Infinium driving east on Fuller Road. Main caravan’s lead vehicle is seen ahead.

Since this was the first time on open road, 2009 Global Green Challenge driver Josh Feldman was inside Infinium. The three new drivers road in chase to observe Feldman’s driving. While they did a lot of driving on the track this past week, they are unanimously very excited to drive with other traffic in the near future.

Last weekend the 2010 Race Crew began caravan practice.  This race crew has only three returning members from the 2009 Global Green Challenge, so everyone has much to learn in preparation for the race.  Since this was the team’s first training session, Infinium was replaced with a team member’s personal vehicle.  We left the workspace and hoped to make it to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and back in less than one hour.  Our journey did not start off on a great foot.  We missed a couple of turns and it was clear that our less experienced team members were not yet feeling comfortable with several caravanning procedures.  As we continued on the route, everyone started to better understand their roles in the caravan.  By the end of the route we were much improved, though we did not make it back in under an hour.  Over the next two months, we will continue to practice caravanning procedures, and we are confident that our team will be well prepared for the American Solar Challenge.

Today we went on a scenic drive through Ann Arbor to practice proper caravan/radio procedure in normal cars, in preparation for getting a rolling solar car on the road soon.  After a meeting last night to go over radio protocol, we headed out this morning with Jeff Rogers’ 80′s era Oldsmobile as lead, John Federspiel’s Chevy Malibu as chase, and, of course, our “solar car”, Alex Dowling’s Ford Windstar.

With an experienced lead driver (Gerald Chang), me in the “solar car” being coached by Alex, and Dylan Reitzell driving chase with John riding shotgun, we managed to make it through the sample route alive and unticketed, despite a few apearances by Ann Arbor’s Finest along the route.  All in all, we were able to handle even a few tough situations with relative poise, and I for one can’t wait to get back out on the road this Saturday for our next practice session.

In the interest of having a little fun while practicing procedure, our route stopped at a local botanical garden about halfway through to debrief and make some corrections, as well as tour the gardens.  As you can see in the pictures below, we had an great time taking in some plants that we’ll only be able to see again in Australia!

Debriefing: The team debriefs in the botanical garden parking lot. That’s the “solar car” on the right.

In the garden: Left to right: Sudeep Rohatgi, Dylan Reitzell, Jeff Rogers, Kevin Zhang, John Federspiel, Alex Dowling, Chris Hilger, Ethan Stark, Santosh Kumar, Eric Relson

The Culprit: The cactus-plant-thing that Alex Dowling almost impaled himself on.