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CALGARY, Alberta, CA, August 3, 2005 (Refocus
Weekly)
The winning vehicle in a solar-powered car race
across North America averaged 74 km/h over the 4,023 km route.
The University of Michigan ‘Momentum’ crossed the finish line of
the North American Solar Challenge with a cumulative time of 53
hours, 59 minutes and 43 seconds. In second place as the University
of Minnesota at 54:11:35 followed by the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology at 56:34:43.
Twenty universities and colleges started the race in Austin, Texas,
and 18 completed the ten-day trip to the Olympic Oval in Calgary,
Alberta. Organizers say the NASC is the longest solar car race in
the world, and this fourth event was the first time that competitors
crossed from the United States into Canada.
The cars drove along US Route 75 and the Trans-Canada Highway, with
checkpoints in Weatherford, TX; Broken Arrow, OK; Topeka, KS; Omaha,
NB; Sioux Falls, SD; Fargo, ND; Winnipeg, MB; Brandon, MB; Regina,
SK and Medicine Hat, AB. There were two classes: open class where
teams use batteries or solar cells of their choice, and stock class
where teams use only lead acid batteries and solar cells approved by
NASC. The leader of the stock class was Stanford University at
68:00:04, although it placed ninth in overall standings.
Other entries were U of Missouri - Rolla, U of Waterloo, Western
Michigan U, Principia College, U of Missouri - Columbia, CalSol,
Iowa State U, Auburn U, U of Calgary and Kansas State U. Queen's
University, Red River College, McMaster U and Illinois State U did
not complete the entire trip, and Northwestern U withdrew while
Southern Illinois U was disqualified.
The race was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural
Resources Canada, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
TransAlta, University of Calgary, CSI Wireless, AMD and Manitoba
Transportation & Government Services.
A qualifying event was held in May in Kansas to determine the
starting sequence of cars, and a second qualifying events and safety
checks were held at the Texas World Speedway in College Station. To
qualify for the NASC, the solar car had to drive 120 miles at an
average speed of 25 mph, and all teams had to undergo safety and
reliability checks.
College Sports Television plans to broadcast a one-hour special on
the NASC this fall.
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