4 ms·

Student-designed solar car smashes world speed record

38 points by kia 16y ago

younata 16y ago
For those of us in the US, 88 km/h is roughly 55 mph. (54.68 to be more precise) EDIT: Also, later on, 103 km/h is mentioned, which is 64 mph. Still, this is extremely cool for a solar car to get that fast.
- melling 16y ago
  For those people not in the US, the US school system has been teaching the metric system since at least since the late 70's. We do know the conversions (eg .62, 2.2, and 1.8). It might take another decade but we will get to the metric system.
  - count 16y ago
    Funny, I'm in the US, and I moved around a ton in primary school days (I went to 6 schools from K-5). I managed to never get instruction on the 'US' system of measure. I have no idea how many feet are in a mile, how many quarts in a gallon, cups in a quart, etc. I did manage to hit each school districts 'metric' year...6 times in a row. So I know the SI system like the back of my hand - it's kind of awkward really.
- SlowOnTheUptake 16y ago
  Also, for those of us who think in terms of horsepower, 1200 watts is about 1.6 hp. A blender might be a more useful kitchen appliance comparison than a toaster to grasp the amount of mechanical power that this car produces.
tesseract 16y ago
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20007977-48.html http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20007977-48.html
- kia 16y ago
  In the submitted article they are talking about officially registered record.
  - tesseract 16y ago
    I do know that in the races these cars are designed to compete in, the top teams regularly run at the speed limits: 130 km/h in the (Australia) World Solar Challenge, 65 mph in the (USA) American Solar Challenge; not sure about the South African or Japanese races. If for some reason Guinness doesn't have that recorded, then perhaps one of the competitors in those races should invite them? e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai_Challenger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai_Challenger or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuna_5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuna_5
    - robryan 16y ago
      Might be special restrictions on the speed record, like flat road and certain wind conditions.
      - lwat 16y ago
        You have to go twice in opposite directions on the same road and take the worst time
- bmunro 16y ago
  I think that this is a record for a car using silicon based solar cells. The car came first in the silicon section of the 2009 world solar challenge, and fourth overall.
- jedc 16y ago
  To summarize that article, The University of Michigan Solar Car Team reached 105 mph at Ford's Proving Ground in 2010. It looks like they never officially called Guinness, so that's why their record isn't in the books. (I used to be the project manager of the team back in the late 90's... you can see our car at Boston's Museum of Science.) :)
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
samratjp 16y ago
The best part is "the car is entirely powered by silicon solar cells and produces about 1200 watts — the same amount of power required to run a toaster." That's really cool!
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- jasonkester 16y ago
  Indeed. That's actually the depressing part. As in, you need that many of the best solar cells we can make these days just to power a toaster. It makes real solar powered anything seem a long way off.
  - borism 16y ago
    the depressing part it highlights is how much energy we waste. I can build you a solar-powered toaster with a piece of foil for few bucks. Yet you'd rather use chinese toaster that uses as much energy as can propel you and a vehicle at 100+ kph...
shooll 16y ago
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borism 16y ago
Now, all they need to do is make the horizontal plane wider, add rudder and ailerons and propeller and they are good to fly (without wasting all that energy to overcome roll friction)!
- tommi 16y ago
  All of which would induce so much drag making take of impossible. I have no sense of humor.
  - borism 16y ago
    interesting. I'm not quite sure right now that this is true. Theoretically you can make infinitely long wing that will not induce any drag: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-induced_drag#Reducing_induced_drag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-induced_drag#Reducing_indu...
    - SlowOnTheUptake 16y ago
      An infinite wing would not have induced drag but it would have infinite parasitic drag. There are two kinds of drag at play. As one is reduced the other becomes more dominant.
- grannyg00se 16y ago
  Overcoming gravity might be a bigger problem than rolling friction.
  - borism 16y ago
    I don't want them to fly at 35000ft! Currently they have this wing shaped in such a way as to keep it from flying off the road anyway, and this inevitably creates rolling friction. But why should they waste energy on this?
    - pingswept 16y ago
      Solar car aero shells are designed for zero lift, not to press the car into the ground or take off. This is the minimum energy usage. It's true that you could reduce your rolling resistance by making a car with positive aerodynamic lift, but doing so would make you dissipate more energy in the air than you would save.
ck2 16y ago
Nice, how about a hybrid of solar/human power for a more practical looking/working car? My battery powered mountain bike can do 25mph for a couple hours on 48v 20ah, so if made into a three wheeler with that array in parallel maybe it could go longer, faster. But part of their secret is being so low to the ground to cheat wind resistance which is the real problem above 25mph.
- tesseract 16y ago
  Yes, it is indeed all about aerodynamics. (And to some extent tire rolling resistance.) You will find that world-speed-record human powered vehicles are also low to the ground and have carefully designed aerodynamic bodies, rather than being open-frame like a mountain bike.
sdhjtkjty 16y ago
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38 points by kia 16y ago

For those of us in the US, 88 km/h is roughly 55 mph. (54.68 to be more precise) EDIT: Also, later on, 103 km/h is mentioned, which is 64 mph. Still, this is extremely cool for a solar car to get that fast.

melling 16y ago
For those people not in the US, the US school system has been teaching the metric system since at least since the late 70's. We do know the conversions (eg .62, 2.2, and 1.8). It might take another decade but we will get to the metric system.
- count 16y ago
  Funny, I'm in the US, and I moved around a ton in primary school days (I went to 6 schools from K-5). I managed to never get instruction on the 'US' system of measure. I have no idea how many feet are in a mile, how many quarts in a gallon, cups in a quart, etc. I did manage to hit each school districts 'metric' year...6 times in a row. So I know the SI system like the back of my hand - it's kind of awkward really.
SlowOnTheUptake 16y ago
Also, for those of us who think in terms of horsepower, 1200 watts is about 1.6 hp. A blender might be a more useful kitchen appliance comparison than a toaster to grasp the amount of mechanical power that this car produces.

tesseract 16y ago

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20007977-48.html http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20007977-48.html

kia 16y ago
In the submitted article they are talking about officially registered record.
- tesseract 16y ago
  I do know that in the races these cars are designed to compete in, the top teams regularly run at the speed limits: 130 km/h in the (Australia) World Solar Challenge, 65 mph in the (USA) American Solar Challenge; not sure about the South African or Japanese races. If for some reason Guinness doesn't have that recorded, then perhaps one of the competitors in those races should invite them? e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai_Challenger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai_Challenger or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuna_5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuna_5
  - robryan 16y ago
    Might be special restrictions on the speed record, like flat road and certain wind conditions.
    - lwat 16y ago
      You have to go twice in opposite directions on the same road and take the worst time
bmunro 16y ago
I think that this is a record for a car using silicon based solar cells. The car came first in the silicon section of the 2009 world solar challenge, and fourth overall.
jedc 16y ago
To summarize that article, The University of Michigan Solar Car Team reached 105 mph at Ford's Proving Ground in 2010. It looks like they never officially called Guinness, so that's why their record isn't in the books. (I used to be the project manager of the team back in the late 90's... you can see our car at Boston's Museum of Science.) :)

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

samratjp 16y ago

The best part is "the car is entirely powered by silicon solar cells and produces about 1200 watts — the same amount of power required to run a toaster." That's really cool!

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
jasonkester 16y ago
Indeed. That's actually the depressing part. As in, you need that many of the best solar cells we can make these days just to power a toaster. It makes real solar powered anything seem a long way off.
- borism 16y ago
  the depressing part it highlights is how much energy we waste. I can build you a solar-powered toaster with a piece of foil for few bucks. Yet you'd rather use chinese toaster that uses as much energy as can propel you and a vehicle at 100+ kph...

shooll 16y ago

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borism 16y ago

Now, all they need to do is make the horizontal plane wider, add rudder and ailerons and propeller and they are good to fly (without wasting all that energy to overcome roll friction)!

tommi 16y ago
All of which would induce so much drag making take of impossible. I have no sense of humor.
- borism 16y ago
  interesting. I'm not quite sure right now that this is true. Theoretically you can make infinitely long wing that will not induce any drag: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-induced_drag#Reducing_induced_drag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-induced_drag#Reducing_indu...
  - SlowOnTheUptake 16y ago
    An infinite wing would not have induced drag but it would have infinite parasitic drag. There are two kinds of drag at play. As one is reduced the other becomes more dominant.
grannyg00se 16y ago
Overcoming gravity might be a bigger problem than rolling friction.
- borism 16y ago
  I don't want them to fly at 35000ft! Currently they have this wing shaped in such a way as to keep it from flying off the road anyway, and this inevitably creates rolling friction. But why should they waste energy on this?
  - pingswept 16y ago
    Solar car aero shells are designed for zero lift, not to press the car into the ground or take off. This is the minimum energy usage. It's true that you could reduce your rolling resistance by making a car with positive aerodynamic lift, but doing so would make you dissipate more energy in the air than you would save.

ck2 16y ago

Nice, how about a hybrid of solar/human power for a more practical looking/working car? My battery powered mountain bike can do 25mph for a couple hours on 48v 20ah, so if made into a three wheeler with that array in parallel maybe it could go longer, faster. But part of their secret is being so low to the ground to cheat wind resistance which is the real problem above 25mph.

tesseract 16y ago
Yes, it is indeed all about aerodynamics. (And to some extent tire rolling resistance.) You will find that world-speed-record human powered vehicles are also low to the ground and have carefully designed aerodynamic bodies, rather than being open-frame like a mountain bike.

sdhjtkjty 16y ago

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