Spring Break
OSU's Solar Vehicle Team to compete in national competition
The North American Solar Challenge allows OSU Solar Vehicle Team to try their hand
Candice Ruud
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: News
The lead car, the solar-powered car, the chase car and the support car all serve specific purposes and carry the alternate drivers and the members of the team who are making calculations about the sun's energy.
Each driver stays in the cockpit, which can be up to 110 degrees, for about two to three hours at a time, depending on their body temperature.
Both body temperature and hydration are tracked by team members making constant calculations in the chase vehicle.
While in the cockpit, the drivers are hooked up in such a way that those in the chase car can read their body temperature statistics. If a driver's temperature goes above the normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees for more than ten minutes, they are switched out for another driver.
The OSU Solar Vehicle Team consists of about 15 members from majors such as botany, history, engineering and philosophy - they are a diverse team.
The Rain Dancer itself is extremely lightweight, weighing in at around 700 pounds. It is 16 feet long, six feet wide and is made mostly from titanium, fiberglass and carbon fiber.
The goal of the Solar Challenge is to push the limits of technology. Solar-powered cars are not feasible on the large scale because of the extremely small amount of power they run off of at one time, which would make luxuries such as radio or air conditioning impossible. Battery-powered cars, however, operate much in the same way and would be possible on the large scale.
"We're hoping to push the envelope of technology so that battery-powered cars become more feasible in the future," Han said.
Candice Rudd, senior reporter
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
Each driver stays in the cockpit, which can be up to 110 degrees, for about two to three hours at a time, depending on their body temperature.
Both body temperature and hydration are tracked by team members making constant calculations in the chase vehicle.
While in the cockpit, the drivers are hooked up in such a way that those in the chase car can read their body temperature statistics. If a driver's temperature goes above the normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees for more than ten minutes, they are switched out for another driver.
The OSU Solar Vehicle Team consists of about 15 members from majors such as botany, history, engineering and philosophy - they are a diverse team.
The Rain Dancer itself is extremely lightweight, weighing in at around 700 pounds. It is 16 feet long, six feet wide and is made mostly from titanium, fiberglass and carbon fiber.
The goal of the Solar Challenge is to push the limits of technology. Solar-powered cars are not feasible on the large scale because of the extremely small amount of power they run off of at one time, which would make luxuries such as radio or air conditioning impossible. Battery-powered cars, however, operate much in the same way and would be possible on the large scale.
"We're hoping to push the envelope of technology so that battery-powered cars become more feasible in the future," Han said.
Candice Rudd, senior reporter
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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Randy Grainger
posted 5/20/08 @ 1:44 PM PST
Go Beave's! Is there anyway that I can help in this effort?
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