Solar-Powered Racing Heats Up

July 2, 2008 — -- Teams are hoping to drive under clear skies when the North American Solar Challenge goes full throttle this weekend.

Twenty-four colleges will be competing in the bi-annual event, which requires participants to design, build and race a solar-powered car from Dallas to Calgary in a grueling 10-day, 2,400-mile test of engineering ingenuity.

And what began as a modest display of solar energy's potential has turned into a showcase for the rapidly developing technology. For example, the first winner in 1990 averaged 25 mph, but the latest champion averaged more than 60 mph.

"The race shows people what we can do with just a tiny bit of something that comes from a sustainable resource," says NASC director Dan Eberle.

Luke Martz, a student at Iowa State University, says he's revved up about the school's chances. Buoyed by their best-ever third-place finish in the last event, his teammates have put in $400,000 and a year's worth of elbow grease to assemble PrISUm, a 1,400-watt solar racecar.

"We're real excited about our special electrical system," Martz says. "I feel that it's something that should definitely give the other teams a run for their money."

Made of super-light, super-strong carbon material, the car also sports a GPS navigational system and the ability to receive real-time weather updates through XM satellite radio, a feature that could prove crucial as the race progresses.

"Driving really fast is the thing you absolutely can't do," Eberle says. "You just want to go just a bit faster than the other cars by managing energy, forecasting road and climate conditions."

Throughout the event's history, a handful of schools have developed into strong contenders, but one program in particular has emerged as the perennial favorite.

"There's a lot of good teams in the race like MIT and Stanford," Martz says. "But the team to beat is [the University of] Michigan."

Students from Michigan have won four of the eight races held so far, and Steven Hechtman, an engineering student, will be behind the wheel when a new generation gears up for another run at the title.