Sun Run Day 1- The Beginning of a New Journey
Yesterday was a big day for Aevum. We took the solar car into New York City, taking photos at iconic locations like Time Square and Radio City. Before we arrived, there was a lot weighing on our mind: what would we do in an emergency? How would we navigate the notoriously dreadful NYC traffic? While we prepared for all of these situations just in case, the actual trip was nothing short of amazing.
The American Museum of Natural History graciously provided us with a space to unload and load our solar car and park our trailer in the morning. There we were greeted warmly on the streets by passerbys and alumni alike, calling attention to the intersection of sustainability and innovation that brought Aevum to life.
It was a daring move to bring the solar car to NYC: a feat that has never been done before, but everybody agreed that it was worth it at the end of the day. When we arrived back in New Jersey, the team resumed preparation for the Michigan Sun Run, running late into the night.
At 7:00am this morning, everybody gathered promptly in the hotel lobby. There was a tangible feeling of anticipation that only grew as we arrived at Siemens, who allowed us to start the Michigan Sun Run at their USA headquarters. Having received news that we would be there, strangers and acquaintances alike came together to support the team and to see the car, filling the air with a festive spirit..
Soon enough though, it was time to begin the Michigan Sun Run and without a hitch, the solar car took off. The whole time that we were driving, the sun was favoriably shining upon us, powering our journey forward. The only hitch was the overheating of Aevum’s motor controllers. We stopped momentarily to implement an additional cooling solution before resuming our drive. When we got to Pennsylvania, we faced the towering Appalachian mountains and the winding roads that followed. and drove through with great perseverance.
As we wound down for the night, cooking our first meal of the journey, some freshly grilled hotdogs and hamburgers, our Project Manager Joseph Harrington summed the day up really well, “despite the challenges we faced today, we ended pretty close to our target destination, giving us a good outlook for the rest of the race.”