Posted on May 31: McMaster Solar Car on the road again

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BY Julia Thomson

May 31, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/fireball2.jpg” caption=”Fireball II”]

The McMaster solar car team rolled back to Canada recently after three days of intense competition at the 2004 Formula Sun Grand Prix in Topeka, Kansas.

Last year, the team put their second generation solar vehicle, Fireball II, through its paces at the American Solar Car (ASC) Challenge, a 10-day race from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California.

The Formula Sun Grand Prix is a shorter race than the ASC Challenge, lasting only three days. The event challenges full-size solar powered, photovoltaic (PV) cars  similar to those built to compete in national cross-country races  on a 2.1-mile road course.

McMaster's team overcame a disappointing showing at the 2003 American Solar Challenge to finish as the top Canadian school and fifth overall at the Grand Prix.

The team completed over 400 miles with a fastest lap time of four minutes, five seconds.

Despite their success, the race was not without its challenges. “We obviously blew some tires but that wasn't half as bad as what some of the other teams had to deal with,” says Tammy Hwang, Business Manager for the McMaster Solar Car Project. “On the first day Ecole de Technologie Superieure's battery pack caught on fire. On the second day University of Minnesota's car spun out of control and hit the wall. And on the third day, Minnesota's [solar] array was picked up by a big gust of wind and flipped 10 ft into the air, effectively smashing their array.”

The McMaster team, who uses the same battery pack as ETS, was very cautious in using Fireball II's battery pack and drew minimal amps from the battery.

Concludes Hwang, “Overall the event was a great learning experience and it offered the team valuable race experience. We know what to expect for the big race in 2005 for the North American Solar Challenge.” NASC 2005 will take place in July 2005 and is a road race from Houston, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.

Now, the McMaster Solar Car team will begin designing and constructing a third generation vehicle. Members of the public will still see Fireball II, however, at educational and community events in the coming year.