Sunseeker ’05 heads to Austin, Texas, this week to compete in the North American Solar Challenge, a 2,500-mile race that begins July 17 and ends 10 days later in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Western Michigan University’s solar-powered entry in the race was given a media send off last week in front of the Parkview Campus. WMU President Judith Bailey and CEAS Dean Tim Greene praised the efforts of the Sunseeker team members, advisors, and supporters and wished the crew well.
Sunseeker ’05 with team, advisors, and supporters at its unveiling
Made of lightweight carbon-fiber composite material, Sunseeker ’05 can travel at 80 mph, but has a cruising speed between 55 and 65 mph.
The team includes three advisors, 10 college students, and six area high school students.
Two advisors have IME connections: Abe Poot, WMU engineering lab coordinator for Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and IME departments, and Fred Sitkins, a 30-year veteran IME professor. Joining them is Dr. John Kapenga, a computer science professor.
For the first time the team includes six high school students who applied for membership by submitting letters of reference and completing 200-word essays explaining why they wanted to be involved and what they could add to the project.
Sitkins said that adding the high school students to the team was a way to show appreciation to the community for its support. “It’s one way we can say thank you,” he said.
Poot said this year’s vehicle is an improved version of WMU's 2003 entry, which placed fifth in a race along Route 66 from Chicago to Barstow, CA. That car won two major awards: the Inspectors’ Award for mechanical and electrical design and the EDS Gold Award for best overall solar car design.
Abe Poot and Sunseeker ‘05
According to Poot, the improved Sunseeker ’05 version has more solar cells for about 50 additional watts of power, a lighter 25 kg 115-volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack and a state-of-the-art battery protection system.
Improvements were made to the rear suspension, the ventilation system, and the aerodynamics. The car also features a new rear vision camera, an LCD display, and a Global Positioning System.
A new canopy design offers a clearer bubble, better tinting, and the WMU logo.
WMU is one of only three universities that have qualified for every solar-race challenge since the first race in 1990.
About 28 colleges and universities are expected to enter this year’s race. Final testing and inspection takes place during qualifying events set for July 10-15. The biennial race is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Natural Resources Canada.
After the race, which follows U.S. Route 75 and the Trans-Canada Highway, with checkpoints in Weatherford, TX; Broken Arrow, OK.; Topeka, KS; Omaha, NE; Sioux Falls, SD; Fargo, ND; Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba; Regina, Saskatchewan; and Medicine Hat, Alberta, the WMU team plans to return to WMU on Aug.2.
To follow the race results of WMU’s Sunseeker ’05, check the website: http://www.wmich.edu/sunseeker
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