A team of students at the University of Minnesota may have brought that just a little bit
closer to reality this past weekened. They won first place in the Formula Sun Grand Prix "rayc" at the Brickyard track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project Team
Cenaurus II, the team's ninth solar car, completed 569 laps (512.1 miles) in
three days and 23 hours -- 39 more laps than the second place finisher. The fastest lap was run in one mnute and 24 seconds.
Not as fast as your average gasoline powered car, but not bad.
"Our team's great drivers were a big reason we won. We specifically designed our car so it can fit any team member,"
said student team leader Jonathan Nutzmann, a junior majoring in electrical engineering. "We take a hit on
aerodynamics, but the payoff is that we can have the best driver out there, not just one that is small enough to fit
in the car."
This car can reach speeds of up to about 80 miles per hour. It's top speed in the race was about 55 mph because of the tight turns.
Over the next year the University of Minnesota team will focus its efforts on designing and building the team's
next-generation, completely solar-powered car, Centaurus III, the 10th car in the team's 21-year history.
Of course this is not the first time they won. The team won the Formula Sun Grand Prix three of the last four times. They also won in 2009 and 2005 (There were no races in 2066, 2007, or 2008) and placed third in 2010.
For more on this project go to www.svp.umn.edu.
