Engineering Now .: Volume 3 - Edition 7 .: February 2007
SunStang team celebrates milestone anniversary this year
By Audrey Korol
Fifteen years after the conception of the first SunStang solar vehicle, the SunStang project is still in full swing among Western Engineering students.
The SunStang team members have been working hard for months redesigning the solar powered vehicle for the upcoming World Solar Challenge in October. “This year’s car differs in a number of ways from the previous car,” says SunStang team member David Grubb. “With this car, we’ll be bridging the gap between solar cars and commercial vehicles by making the car smaller, the solar array smaller, and designing an upright seat-position for the vehicle.”
The team is also focusing on other strategies to improve their solar car for the big race in Australia. “We will be developing the aerodynamics of the car and increase the design on the suspension,” says Grubb. “Our team will also be encapsulating its solar array this year, which will lead to higher durability, increased efficiency, and the possibility of re-using the array for a later race.”
Plans for upcoming fundraising campaigns for SunStang are now in the works. “Our team is aiming to raise just over $250,000 to fund the construction of the car, and the race expenses for both World Solar Challenge 2007 and North American Solar Challenge 2008,” explains Grubb.
The team is hoping for support from alumni and past friends of the SunStang team. Individuals can donate through the Adopt-A-Cell program, in which a $30 donation pays for one of the 600 cells powering the SunStang
vehicle.
“The SunStang team is very excited for World Solar Challenge 2007 and we’re looking forward to the race,” says Grubb. “We love hearing from anyone interested in the team.”
For more information on the SunStang team, events or sponsorship, please visit
www.sunstang.ca or email
info@sunstang.ca.
To read the latest SunStang newsletter, please visit
http://www.sunstang.ca/newsletter1.pdf.
Also from this web page:
Contact
.: Allison Stevenson
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
Telephone: (519) 850-2917 Fax: (519) 661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca
