MSIChicago | Solar Challenge 2003

The weekend of July 12th and 13th, the Museum of Science and Industry will host this year’s American Solar Challenge (ASC). At 2,300 miles, the ASC is the longest solar car race in the world.

The ASC is an educational sporting event in which university teams, companies, and clubs from around the world compete to build and race solar-powered cars across the country. The race takes place along America’s historic Route 66 and ends in California. Young engineers and scientists gain practical experience by being challenged to develop new ways of solving energy and transportation issues. The racers build their solar-powered cars using photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity to power their cars. So as you can imagine, weather and energy management play a crucial part on the solar car’s speed and ability to regenerate their batteries.

This year’s race will be the first solar race to feature two-person seated cars. The 2001 ASC Race only had one-person solar cars competing. The ASC solar cars are generally low, sleek, and colorful, with photovoltaic cells covering the body of the car. The racecar’s body itself is composed of simple fiberglass and wood or aluminum, or it can be made from advanced, lightweight composites, depending on each team’s finances and design strategies.

At the first ASC Race, which was held in 2001, the University of Michigan’s “M-Pulse” crossed the finish line first, completing the race in 56 hours, 10 minutes, and 46 seconds, with an average speed of 40 mph. With recent advancements in energy technology, this year’s race could have even faster finishing times than the 2001 ASC.

The Museum of Science and Industry is a noteworthy location as the starting point for the ASC Race because it was the sight of America’s first automobile race. The Chicago Times-Herald sponsored a 52-mile event on Thanksgiving Day, 1895. Of the 83 cars that initially intended to race, only six made the start and only two cars finished. The historic event started what has become more than a century-long love affair with cars and auto racing for Chicagoans and all Americans.

The U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and EDS are the sponsors for this year’s race.

Highlights of the weekend include:

Saturday, July 12, 2003, guests can experience and participate with the ASC in their “garage day”. Guests will have the opportunity to preview the solar-powered cars that are scheduled to race in the ASC, look on as teams make final adjustments to their racecars, and also talk with team members.

Sunday, July 13, 2003, is the official race day of the ASC. Startline ceremonies will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the Museum’s front lawn. The ASC racecars will depart at 9:00 a.m. in one-minute intervals from the north entrance of the Museum of Science and Industry onto 57th Street and then travel south on Stony Island.

The solar-powered cars will travel for ten days across a 2,300-mile cross-country trek that will follow America’s historic Route 66 to the final destination of Claremont, California. Including the start and finish, ASC racecars will stop at 14 checkpoints along the route: Springfield, IL; Rolla, MO; Joplin, MO; Edmond, OK; Sayre, OK; Amarillo, TX; Tucumcari, NM; Albuquerque, NM; Gallup, NM; Flagstaff, AZ; Kingman, AZ; and Barstow, CA. The ASC racecars can be tracked on the Internet through a positioning satellite system at: http://www.formulasun.org/asc/tracking/index.html.

ASC’s mission is to advance renewable energy and electric vehicle technologies, promote educational and engineering excellence, encourage environmental consciousness and teach teamwork. The race provides hands-on experience for engineering students, allowing them to build their technical skills for the 21st century marketplace.