From garage to racetrack: Okemos students build solar car for national competition
OKEMOS, Mich. (News 10) — The Okemos Solar Racing Club is preparing to compete in the 30th annual Solar Car Challenge in Texas with a solar-powered car its members designed and built.
“The Solar Car Challenge was established in 1993 by educator Dr. Lehman Marks. The program is designed to motivate students in science, engineering, and alternative energy,” according to the Solar Car Challenge press release.
The team from Okemos High School will compete against 24 student teams from across the country in the advanced division with their car called the “Solaris Lupus.”
Over 5 days, the teams will travel 631.7 miles, starting in Fort Worth and ending in Fort Stockton. The car that travels the most miles during the challenge will be declared the winner.
“We’re going to go all around Texas with the solar car going up hills and stuff. And there’s a whole bunch of strategy and like optimization you get to do for that,” said Evan Zader-Baumann, Co-Captain of the Okemos Solar Racing Club.
Before the race begins, the cars will face an evaluation to decide whether they are safe and race-ready. A panel of judges will check the mechanical, electrical, and safety features of each car.
“There is like 30 pages of rules that we have to follow, and it’s like a lot of details. I’m worried about making sure that we got like everything that we needed to,” Zader-Baumann said. “But if we have something wrong, we have backup plans of how we’re going to change it and adapt in Texas.”
The car was built over two years and is set to arrive in Texas on July 15 for the competition.
Zader-Baumann helped design the rear suspension, crush zone, and aluminum frame. He said this project has been challenging, but it’s his “pride and joy,” and a great way to make friends.”
“It’s like really rewarding to be able to just like start with something and design it in the computer and then see it come to life,” Zader-Baumann said. “I took engineering classes in my high school, and they’re good, but like nothing like this in depth. And [the project is] something that has me motivated to just come here every day and just like build something that is like super cool.”
Okemos Solar Racing Club members have been building the car out of co-captain Bokang Li’s garage, due to the Okemos schools undergoing construction.
“It’s actually been really fun building it in my house. Because when I wake up in the morning I can just come straight downstairs and then work on the car,” Li said.
The team is made up mostly of 15- and 16-year-olds, many of whom have permits. Luckily for Li, he turns 16 two days before the race, making him eligible to drive the car.
The cars will undergo inspections at Texas Motor Speedway from July 16 through July 18. The race is scheduled to begin July 19.
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