May 17, 2010

New solar car hits the Alberta highway

Alberta motorists are in for an unusual sight on the highways this week: the Schulich Axiom, the latest solar car designed and built by a group of University of Calgary students. It headed out today on a seven-day tour of the province.

It’s the first extended run for the Schulich Axiom and one of the last chances to test its performance before next month’s American Solar Challenge, a race from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Chicago, Illinois.

“This car has a radically new design,” says Brandon Heenan, project co-chair with the U of C Solar Team. “We are beating our speed records, it’s 45 kilograms lighter, easier to handle, accommodates taller drivers and costs $100,000 less than the last car.”

The Schulich Axiom has nearly two thousand solar cells, batteries that store enough power to drive the car for four hours. The chassis, or frame of the car, is made of carbon fibre composite instead of steel. A more efficient shape means a faster top speed. During testing so far, it has reached 120 kilometres per hour.

The students and the car will stop along the route to visit several schools:

May 17 1:30 p.m. Notre Dame Collegiate, High River

May 18 1:00 p.m. River Heights Elementary, Medicine Hat

May 19 12:30 p.m. Wainwright Elementary School, Wainwright

May 20 12:15 p.m. Westlock Elementary School, Westlock

May 21 12:15 p.m. Sparling School, Camrose

More than 50 students – the majority from the Schulich School of Engineering – worked for over a year to craft the ultimate third-generation solar car.

“These students are applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world situation concerning energy and environment, where there are indeed pressing engineering challenges,” says Elizabeth Cannon, dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. “This is a strength at the University of Calgary and we’re proud to have them representing us internationally. We’ll be watching and cheering them on!”

The University of Calgary is one of only two Canadian teams competing in the American Solar Challenge June 20 – 26. The team is also planning to compete in the Global Green Challenge, formerly the World Solar Challenge, in Australia in 2011. Get regular updates on the team’s blog at http://calgarysolarteam.blogspot.com/.

For safety reasons, when photographing or filming the car en route, no vehicle may come between the Schulich Axiom and the vehicle directly in front or behind it in the convoy.