World Solar Challenge - Day 4
Sorry if this has been posted before, but some good news on the Michigan Solar Car team.
They are currently sitting in 2nd place after 4 days of racing across the Australian Outback!
First place team Nuon has been a perennial powerhouse, and they hold a 2 hour lead over our Men and Women in Maize and Blue.
Feel free to follow along at https://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/dashboard/map or on Twitter @UMSolarCarTeam
Go Blue!
October 11th, 2017 at 12:41 PM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
Pros:
- Speed for downfield blocking
- Good pad level
Cons:
- Bad in night games
October 11th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
Yuck!
October 11th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^
that the theme song of this challenge be Mr. Brightside.
October 11th, 2017 at 2:24 PM ^
Does the University of Michigan not understand that coal is the new solar? Solar was so 2016.
October 11th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
burn the coal to make light to supply the solar cells. /s
October 11th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
I love the link.
I always follow the WSC. I was even able to follow the Michigan team communications live a couple of times.
2nd in the world is awesome.
Michigan has never finished higher than 3rd place (which is still awesome). They have always finished behind the Dutch (Nuon) and the Japanese (Tokai).
The last couple of WSC's have been relative dissapointments due to mechanical problems toward the end of the race.
Here's hoping for some sweet redemption this cycle.
October 11th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^
I'm just a casual fan who follows the WSC every year hoping to upset Tokai and Nuon. 2nd place at this point in the race has me excited!
October 11th, 2017 at 4:38 PM ^
What happened to Tokai? They were always dominant, but they have fallen off the last coupe of WSC cycles. Nuon was always the bridesmaid, now they are top dog.
October 11th, 2017 at 5:24 PM ^
If I recall the years right Nuon has won the 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 races before Tokai created a team, then won again in 2013 and 2015. They've won more WSCs than any other team, and if they win this year they'll have won half the WSCs ever held.
October 12th, 2017 at 2:38 AM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
Fun Fact: Michigan is the Alabama of Solar Car Challenges.
We have won something like 7 straight National Championships.
We barely face any real competition until we get to "Worlds".
October 11th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
...it would be very hard to lose!
But seriously, UM's team is all student run, organized, and lead.
If my memory is right, isn't Tokai and Nuon a mix of corporate and university?
October 11th, 2017 at 5:39 PM ^
My understanding of Nuon though is that it's title sponsor is a Dutch utilities company, but the team itself is pretty much all grad students from TU Delft. I have heard they take a whole year off classes and get paid a small stipend, so depends on your definition of 'professional' as to whether they qualify.
October 12th, 2017 at 2:39 AM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 7:02 PM ^
Appropriate that it looks like a beer pong table.
October 12th, 2017 at 6:47 AM ^
Michigan finishes 2nd in the World Solar Challenge, their best finish ever!
August 17th, 2021 at 11:33 AM ^
Hi guys, I don't know very well about electric car racing, I find it interesting and I think it could be very helpful to put battery inverters in them so there would not be so much the possibility that they would run out of electrical resources and they would get a greater advantage. They would perform more.