Transcript
U of M solar car ready to race

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A team of University of Minnesota engineering students trotted out their project three years in the making on an appropriately sunny, May morning …

“It can go at a sprint at about 80 miles per hour, which is a respectable speed for a car powered entirely by the sun.”

This solar car, built entirely by the U of M Solar Vehicle Project team, will race in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge in July. And regardless of the race outcome, the solar car is already leaving its creators with an enormous sense of pride.

“We’ve taken a list of rules and turned it into an energy-efficient, safe, robust vehicle…”

The solar car project separates a typical engineering degree from the degree these U of M students receive, because it gives them valuable, real-world experience.

“What’s taught in class, what’s taught from the books, is very different from the skill set that we’ve learned from working on this project.”

In class, team leader Sam Lenius says a mistake means a couple of points off a test …

“If we get the answer wrong here, if we have a bug in our software, if we have a mechanical glitch, it means that we’re likely on the side of the road.”

As oil becomes more expensive and scarce …and environmental challenges continue to mount …the solar team’s faculty advisor says the general public will ultimately benefit the most from the solar car project.

“As we run out of energy and we run out of air, somebody’s got to design a techno fix to get us out of some of these messes …that’s what they’re here for.”

The students say aspects of this vehicle could very well end up in future hybrid and electric car models.

But saving the world, as important as that is, will come with time …first, the U’s solar team has a race to win.

“In the last race, the University of Minnesota car, Borealis III, placed second and we are expecting to beat that this year.”

Not to mention, pick up some valuable experience along the way.

For the University of Minnesota, I’m Justin Ware.