- Midnight Sun Solar Race Team
-
Midnight Sun VIII, the team's 2005 car.
The Midnight Sun Solar Race Team is a Canadian solar car race team affiliated with the University of Waterloo of Waterloo, Ontario. Founded in 1988, the team designs and builds a solar car (Midnight Sun) biennially to compete in the North American Solar Challenge and the World Solar Challenge, which is held in Australia. Comprising over 200 students from several departments and faculties, the team is the largest student-run project at Waterloo. With the exception of a school liaison, the club is entirely student-run.[1] The team holds the Guinness World Record for "Longest Journey by a Solar Vehicle": from August 7 through September 14, 2004, the car traveled 15,070 km (9,360 mi) through the United States and Canada.[2] In February 2008, the team was featured on the Discovery Channel's Mean Green Machines.[3]
One of the team's major efforts is to raise environmental awareness. The team often travels and teaches about education and the environment and takes part in local community events such as the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest parade. The team's largest journey came in 2004 when they traveled a world record 15,070 km through the United States and Canada. The journey started at the university's Davis Center and visited Vancouver, San Francisco, Houston, Florida, Washington DC, New York City, and Halifax before finishing at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Because of the car's unusual design, during the trip on two occasions locals phoned radio stations to announce that a UFO was driving on the highway.[1] The team officially broke the record on August 26 when they crossed the border from California to Arizona.[4] Total costs for the vehicle can reach over $200,000. Much of the funding comes from donations and gifts; the four largest sponsors who contribute over $25,000 to the project are Advantage Engineering, American Dicing, Fleet Canada, and Research In Motion.
Contents
Model history
The Midnight Sun X taken for a test drive in June 2011.The club's first vehicle, dubbed "Midnight Sun Zero" was a solar bike, which the team presented to then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Midnight Sun I competed in the 1990 GM Sunrayce USA (later changed to the American Solar Challenge and now known as the North American Solar Challenge), but it was run off the road by an out-of-control pickup truck. The team was awarded 24th place. Midnight Sun II competed in Sunrayce 93, which ran from Dallas to Minneapolis. However, the model was plagued by low battery power and finished in 33rd place. Midnight Sun III raced in Sunrayce 95 from Indianapolis to Denver and finished 20th overall. Midnight Sun IV came 7th overall out of 36 vehicles in Sunrayce 97 and won the Award for Technical Innovation. Midnight Sun V finished 10th overall in Sunrayce 99 and was the first model to race in the World Solar Challenge, held in Australia. It came 25th overall and won the "Battler's Award" for "overcoming the most adversity to the finish line." The car's motor broke down with about 500 km to go, but fortunately the team from MIT lent them a spare motor. Midnight Sun VI came 3rd at the American Solar Challenge and 15th in the World Solar Challenge. It was also one of the most reliable models, with only one flat tire. Midnight Sun VII finished 3rd in the 2003 American Solar Challenge and earned the Award for Technical Innovation for the use of adaptable fairings, which enhanced sailing performance. The car later set a world record for its journey through the United States and Canada. Midnight Sun VIII finished 5th overall in the 2005 American Solar Challenge and earned the Teamwork award.[5] The club is the only Canadian team to have participated in every major North American solar car race since 1990.[6]
Design work for the current vehicle, Midnight Sun IX, began in October 2005, and it was unveiled on August 12, 2007. It is painted black and gold in honour of the school's 50th anniversary, and is the first model to feature an upright seat, allowing for better visibility and a better fit for the five-point harness.[7] It is about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) wide, 5 m (16 ft) long, and less than 1 m (3.3 ft) high—approximately the size of a Toyota Prius. It is capable of speeds up to 115 km/h from dawn until a few hours past dusk,[1] and finished in fourth place overall in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, a race in which only 15 of 25 cars made it to the final leg.[8] Although the team's work on the car is not part of the school curriculum, some students can integrate class projects into the club. For example, all engineering graduates are required to do a senior design project; some engineers design parts for the car, submit them for marks, and then install them.[1]
Record
Year Model Event Place Notes 1990 I Sunrayce 24th Did not finish; Car was bumped off the road by an out of control pickup truck 1992 II Sunrayce 33rd Suffered from low battery power 1995 III Sunrayce 20th Numerous mechanical problems during the race 1997 IV Sunrayce 7th Top Canadian team; Won "Award for Technical Innovation" 1999 V Sunrayce 10th 1999 V WSC 25th Finished 5th for "Cut-out Class"; Won Battler's Award for persevering when the motor failed 2001 VI ASC 3rd Top Canadian team; Only one flat tire; "Sunrayce" became "American Solar Challenge" 2001 VI WSC 15th 2003 VII ASC 3rd Top Canadian team; Technical Innovation Award 2005 VIII NASC 5th Top Canadian team; "American Solar Challenge" became "North American Solar Challenge" 2007 IX WSC 16th Finished 2nd place in "Challenge Production Class" 2008 IX NASC 4th Top Canadian team References
- ^ a b c d Coleman, Joey (2007-09-13). "Engineer, teach thyself". Maclean's. http://www.macleans.ca/education/universities/article.jsp?content=20070924_109279_109279. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ "Longest Journey by a Solar Vehicle"". Guinness World Records. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/travel_and_transport/epic_journeys/longest_journey_by_solar_electric_vehicle.aspx. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ "UW Daily Bulletin, February 4, 2008". University of Waterloo. 2008-02-04. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/2008/feb/04mo.html. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Solar Car Sets Record Distance, but Tragedy Mars Related Tour". U.S. Department of Energy. 2004-09-01. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/news_detail.html?news_id=8134. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ "Midnight Sun - History". University of Waterloo. http://www.midsun.uwaterloo.ca/www/about/history/. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ "Midnight Sun - About". University of Waterloo. http://www.midsun.uwaterloo.ca/www/about/. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ O'Reilly, Nicole (2007-08-13). "Racing with the Sun". Waterloo Region Record. http://news.therecord.com/article/227560. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ "Solar cars glide to finish line". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-07-22. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/22/solar-car-race-finish.html. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
External links
University of Waterloo Faculties Schools Colleges Organizations Student life Chancellors Dana Porter · Ira G. Needles · Carl Arthur Pollock · Josef Kates · J. Page Wadsworth · Sylvia Ostry · Val O'Donovan · Mike Lazaridis · Prem WatsaPresidents Gerry Hagey · Howard Petch · Burt Matthews · Douglas T. Wright · James Downey · David Lloyd Johnston · Feridun HamdullahpurOther Categories:- Canadian auto racing teams
- Canadian racecar constructors
- Solar powered vehicle racing
- University of Waterloo
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
