UM Solar Car LiveBlog/Stream for Formula Sun GP
The U-M Solar Car Team is competing at the Formula Sun Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They have a LiveBlog and LiveStream at http://solarcar.engin.umich.edu/fsgp-live-blog/
Right now they're looking for folks to provide them questions they can pose in live interviews on the LiveStream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8161931
Thanks for the link Shoe, gonna check this out between making final Derby evaluations.
I'm kinda diggin the background music on this live stream.
...for about 10 min. Now, not so much.
It sounds like the Michigan car wasn't really ready for this race.
"Guest: whats going on with mich?"
"Elson: Well, they're racing a solar car before they've finished building its solar array...this is really more of a mechanical/drivetrain shakedown..."
"Greg: Is there any more race left in umich?"
"Elson: At this point they don't have that much to gain...they have lots of data, and they can't win on account of having to forfeit all of their laps every time they charge"
...to win this event because Quantum's array hasn't been received yet. They raced on battery power only and charged using Infinium's array when the car was not racing.
They used the event to test Quantum's performance and driving characteristics in preparation for this summer's World Solar Challenge.
Quantum is in a drivable state much earlier than most of the past solar cars have been - to be fully ready, except for the solar array, six months before the "big" race (World Solar challenge, this fall in Australia), is a big deal. Usually we don't even TRY to enter FSGP at this point in the program . Anyway, the solar array is a long lead time item that the requires a lot of purchased components, so it's not surprising it's not in yet.
This is just a shakedown cruise for the real deal this fall.
That means I get to post this picture again.
Right now they're looking for folks to provide them questions they can pose in live interviews on the...I have a question. When you see the photo above of our brethren in East Lansings attempt to build a solar car entry, how hard and for how long do you laugh?