Aerodynamics

The Aerodynamics Team has narrowed down dozens of possible shell designs to a single concept for our next car. This concept is in the process of being polished for production. A delicate balance between weight, aerodynamic drag, a solar array optimization concerns have to be considered, as well as the interactions with the chassis and other mechanical components. In addition, newer members are being introduced to composite lay-up process by creating 1/6 scale models of the shell of Centaurus. While all of this is going on, preparations are being made to build the mold for Centaurus II as mold foam (generously donated by General Plastics) and lumber arrives in the next few weeks.

Array

The Solar Array Team has also been busy testing concepts and preparing to power the next car. We have tested a gallium design and silicon design and have decided upon silicon solar cells for Centaurus II. Cars using the lower efficiency silicon cells are allowed 50% more array area, and we believe we can build a faster (and cheaper) car using these cells. Beyond this, we have been exploring new methods of attaching the solar cells to the car. We hope our new method will be easier to apply and adhere better our previous method. In addition, our Solar Array Team has been in close contact with industry representatives and will soon be working on a new encapsulation process that includes antireflective technology, which we believe will improve our car's power and lead us to victory!

Electrical

After doing a spectacular job of debugging Centaurus, producing custom power trackers, and a new battery equalization system for Formula Sun, Electrical Team has continued to keep quite busy. When we last updated we were in the process of procuring sample battery cells and now we are in full test mode, finding the best for the next car. In addition to extensive battery research, the team is working to design and build a custom motor controller, a team first. This motor controller will be significantly smaller and lighter than our current, commercially sourced controller. Currently a prototype is on the bench and does in fact spin our NGM motor, as well as the Über motor. The Über is a team project dating back to about 2003; we believe that it will be more efficient than our current motor. If the custom motor controller/Über motor projects work out, Centaurus II will be racing with a 100% student designed and built electrical system in 2010.

Mechanical Team

The Mechanical Team has built a dynamometer, which allows the team to simulating driving conditions without actually being out on the road. This will be a huge help for the Electrical Team, as it will allow them to test systems on the car far quicker and easier than they have previously been able to. As the shell design is nearing completion, the Mechanical Team is busy integrating their chassis, roll bar, suspension, brakes and other systems into the shell. While the chassis is literally integrated, with some panels built into the shell of the car, other components, such as the roll bar, are being designed to optimize aerodynamics while comfortably fitting our driver. We are also thinking about driver ergonomics as we design adjustable brake and accelerator pedal assemblies. The team goal is to have a rolling chassis by the end of the year; significantly earlier than the team has ever done before.

The team that built Centaurus has passed the torch on to a new team of students who, for the past year, have been hard at work designing UMNSVP's next-generation car, in addition to making improvements to Centaurus in preparation for FSGP. In particular, the Electronics team has been dutifully searching out every last bug in the car, leading to redesigned power trackers and battery equalization, as well as better software and better protection against EMI.

The Formula Sun Grand Prix is an annual three-day race held on a closed race track. It was last held in 2005 at the Heartland Park Raceway in Topeka, KS, where UMNSVP car Borealis III came away with a decisive first-place finish. Funding problems prevented the race from being held in 2006-2008, but a renewed interest in the continuation of solar racing has spurred organizers and teams alike to once again participate in this great event.

This year's event will be held at the MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, TX, a self-proclaimed "Country Club for motoring enthusiasts" that features a 1.7-mile road-style course and beautiful facilities for all of the race's needs. Qualifying and inspections for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge were held at this location last year, and the team looks forward to returning.

The team will depart Minneapolis on Saturday, May 30 and arrive in Cresson on May 31. Scrutineering will occur on June 1 and 2, and the race will be on June 3-5, concluding with an awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, June 5.

Spring semester has arrived - that means it's time for the training to end (although we're never done learning) and the design to start. We're all looking forward to seeing what our new car will look like, but only time (and lots of hard work) will tell!

Aerodynamics Team

Aero Team has been hard at work coming up with shell concepts. The shell is probably the part of the car that takes the most evaluation of design - the team comes up with dozens of different styles and shapes of car, which all have to eventually get pared down to one final design that is, among other things, integrated with Mechanical Team's chassis design. In the process, we have been learning the CAD tools for doing the shell and fairing design - surface modeling is one of the most difficult parts of CAD. We have also been preparing for the layup process, which we hope to get done this coming summer. There is an extraordinary amount of logistics, acquisition and research that goes in to making a composite part, especially one as large of the shell.

Array Team

Fresh from learning about Centaurus I and Borealis III’s solar array through the fall semester reverse engineering exercise, we have begun discussing our approach to the solar array for the next car. Due to the significantly larger size of this car’s array team over the previous design cycles, it has been possible for us to explore several innovative options in terms of cell type, size, attachment procedure and expense. In this procedure, we have consulted many industrial companies for their expert advice in producing viable concepts and prototypes. We have also been collaborating with past and current electrical team members to create a most efficient way to connect the solar array to the car. In the near future, we plan to develop and test prototype modules of solar cells as proof of concept to ensure the final array is efficient enough to power our car to victory. Aside from researching solar array options, the team has begun discussion with the aerodynamics team about various shell design requirements regarding solar cell integration. This will be critical to the team’s success due to the intricacies of collecting enough solar energy to participate competitively during race time. As a result of all these efforts, we plan to make a final decision about the materials for our array by spring break, 2009.

Electrical Team

The display team is trying to keep up with current technology by using an OLED display, featuring extremely low power: always a plus on the solar car. The downfall is it will take more time to write the code for it, but they are up to the task. Telemetry is looking at different radio types and adding some telemetry functionality thatwill be well-used by the Strategy Team. The battery team has been talking with several companies, attempting to obtain the latest in battery technology for use on the car. We don't have any samples yet but hopefully we'll get some within the next few weeks. Some are not in production yet, but it is possible we might be able to get samples anyway. The battery tester should be done within the next week or two, and the new Power Tracker Controller is well on its way to completion. The Motor team is researching researching additional motor controllers for use as backups.

Mechanical Team

The 15-20 members of the Centaurus 2 Mechanical Team are off to a healthy start. Building off of last semester's reverse engineering and research experiences, we are working this semester on design. Concept design has started, with a special focus on introducing innovation into systems that have been used and refined in previous cars. By coordinating our efforts with Aerodynamics Team and looking for inspiration in unlikely places, we hope to maintain a tradition of excellence in mechanical design while adapting such systems as chassis and front suspension especially to accommodate new aerodynamic designs. We are also introducing a new aspect to our team's goals which we believe will allow us to build a very reliable car even with innovative design: to build a dynamometer that will allow us to do more testing in the shop. With hard work, we believe we can meet our goal of having a rolling chassis by the end of this year.

Even though we've been pretty quiet lately, the Solar Vehicle Project has been hard at work preparing ourselves for NASC 2010.

As a first order of business this fall, we began recruiting new members for our team. As the Centaurus design cycle took 3 years, most of our team members either have already graduated or plan to graduate this coming Spring. We put on a series of seminars about the project, what we do, its history, and how we do it all. A total of about 100 people showed up for the first couple meetings, which reduced to about 40 interested members.

With our new team members, we quickly set to work teaching them the design process that UMNSVP uses. These first few weeks are both the most difficult and the most valuable for all the team members, both old and new: returning team members get an opportunity to pass on all of the knowledge they have acquired, while new members learn a valuable engineering process that is usually not taught until the last year of college.

The new member training process also included reverse engineering Centaurus. Team members got their first look at a solar car up close, and spent a few weeks learning how the car was designed and constructed; what worked and what didn't. This exercise is one of the reasons UMNSVP is so successful: building upon the successes and failures of previous teams and the passing on of knowledge represents a resource that is surpassed by no other.

--David Towey
Project Manager

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/07/23/72167539

From WOWT Omaha: http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/25532149.html#

Watch the video at http://giving.umn.edu/extras/solar_car/

This story originally appeared in the summer 2008 issue of Legacy, a quarterly magazine for U of M donors and friends published by the University of Minnesota Foundation.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080714_11_A1_spancl775271

Read the article here.

Watch the interview with Project Manager Samuel Lenius and Logistics Manager Emily Johnston at wcco.com .