To the casual observer, Small Hall is just another building filled with computer labs. But if one should happen to locate and descend the stairwell in the back corner, one would discover something quite different.
There, in the dusty depths, a team of students are putting together a vehicle they intend to race in a competition this summer.
The thought of a car race may immediately conjure up images of the checkered flag, the adoring fans, the rev of the engines, but the car actually is solar-powered. Thus, there are no engines to rev.
This would explain the stack of solar panels in a back room with a handwritten sign next to them warning against errant touching.
According to the University Solar Car Team's Web site, the Solar Revolution III, as the car has been named, is being designed by more than a dozen University undergraduates, graduate students and alumni.
Third-year Engineering student John MacDonald explained that as long as the team finishes on time, it will be entering the car in the American Solar Challenge this summer.
The race will start in Texas and end in Canada, fourth-year Engineering student Sean Happel said.
At the start of the race, "all the teams line up and start going down the road," MacDonald said. "The cars can drive for eight or nine hours a day."
MacDonald added that the race will last for about 10 days and will feature checkpoints along the way. The final results depend on how long it takes to reach each checkpoint.
The first checkpoint to reach, of course, is finishing the product. Second-year Engineering student Parry Narkprasert, who worked on the project last year, noted how overwhelming this goal can seem at first.
One of the initial factors is the amount of technical know-how the team simply must develop over time.
"What they were doing was pretty advanced for a first year pursuing a chemical engineering degree," Narkprasert said.
The second factor is the sheer size of the task at hand, Narkprasert said.
"I didn't know when the project would get done," he said. "If you showed up to work and there were only around two other people, you'd think, 'Wow, this is such a big project.'"
Consequently, Narkprasert and MacDonald both pointed out, the solar car project requires a big commitment and a lot of motivation.
"The number of [team] members has gone up and down over the years, and some are a lot more dedicated than others," MacDonald said, adding that he believes changing participation has been one of the more significant challenges the team has faced.
The changes in team size can result in the loss of a lot of knowledge. Often these fluctuations mean that "we have had to reinvent the wheel and figure out what the team learned the hard way," Happel said.
MacDonald explained that the appeal of the project is being able to take the knowledge one gains from the classroom and actually apply it to a hands-on experience.
"It's something we wouldn't be able to do until we graduate," he said.
Happel also praised the opportunity to take the knowledge in his head and project it onto the real world.
"It's really an experience watching what you've spent four years learning [take place]," he said. "I went into engineering so I can build things."
Happel noted that there are many little tricks that can be learned when building something that cannot be picked up in the classroom.
Furthermore, members of the team have discovered the power of teamwork. As Happel put it, the project is "larger than anything one could do on one's own."
"It is incredible to watch the team bring all of our unique skills together to build something larger than the sum of the individual parts," Happel said.
To accomplish the task, he explained, each member of the now relatively small team has an individual project to work on and is basically in charge when it comes time to install that particular aspect.
MacDonald said this allows the members to focus on much narrower goals without having to worry too much about the broader spectrum.
Happel and MacDonald are both involved with the car's telemetry system, which wirelessly reports data about the solar car to a "chase car" that follows it during the race.
"Every system draws power, and every pound is one you have to move," Happel said. "So instead of carrying the weight on the car, we put it on the chase car."
The chase car is required for the race, Happel explained.
Given that building a car is such a large and complicated endeavor, one may wonder how the team even learns how to do it.
"Because this is the third car [the team has constructed], we already have a lot of real world experience," MacDonald said.
He added that the team knows which things have worked in the past and which have not.
"The whole project is evolving," he said. "We try not to do things the same way twice. We're always improving."
For example, the previous telemetry system was deemed too heavy and outdated. It was scrapped, and a new system was developed from scratch.
"I get to make my own engineering decisions," MacDonald said in regard to the intrigue of the learning process.
MacDonald also noted that the Internet is an excellent resource.
"There are a lot of ... college teams all over the country," he said.
Using the Internet, the University's team members can find out a lot of information from their counterparts.
The current car is not yet complete, but to give an idea what it might be like, there are some statistics on the team's Web site describing the previous edition.
The previous car cost $170,000, could run at speeds of up to 67 mph and weighed around 800 pounds when fully assembled and carrying a driver.
"Each year, we will make a faster, better, lighter car," Happel said.
So far, the Solar Revolution III is meeting that goal.
"I think this model is shaping up to be 100 pounds lighter than the previous one," said MacDonald.
Happel was optimistic about the University's performance in the competition.
"Do I think the car will work? Yeah. Will we place first? Possibly," he said.
Happel will not make any guarantees, however.
"We will try our best, but a lot of other teams will be trying their best, too," he said.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 2 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 4 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
