UM Solar Car Update: Still in 1st!
After a day and a half of Racing, UM has rolled into Topeka still in first place, barring any unforseen penalties. The Gophers are very close behind, rolling in roughly 25 minutes afterward. In spite of losing some ground due to an electrical issue, Michigan has managed to keep some distance between them and the competition. Since Topeka is a stage stop, the times of each car will be tallied and all cars must stop for an overnight stay. Lookin' good Blue!
www.umsolar.com for a CiL
I just saw that. Weather looks good, too. =)
They narrowly avoided a little storm on the way in today, and last night a huge storm fell apart before it got to their campsite. Looks like they'll get a decent charge before they impound the batteries.
and if not, why not?
So naturally, Dilithium is more appropriate for the next one.
Does the car only used stored energy while moving? Or is it a combination of solar and stored energy? If you fail to get a charge before the batteries are impounded, then what? It seems like Mother Nature (and a little luck) figures into the equation quite a bit.
The car draws power out of the battery while moving, but as long as the sun is out the array is constantly charging it. None of the power used to operate the car can be taken from anything but the array, although teams are allowed to start each race with a full battery pack. The weather plays a huge role in this, and the team has a Strategy division (including a full-time meteorologist) who decides how fast to drive the car depending on the weather. As great as Michigan's car is, it cannot run the entire race full speed when the sky is cloudy or they'll run the pack out.
The battery pack issue... They will have this evening after 6 PM and tomorrow morning to charge the battery, which should be enough to fill it up, if not be close. They can start the race tomorrow without a full pack, but obviously they want it to be as full as possible. They don't usually drain it completely during a day's racing anyway, unless its the last day.
Does the "array" consist of anything other than the solar cells and the battery?
Can you still charge even though there are cloudy skies?
How many cycles can the pak go thru before energy retention starts to degrade?
Are you following the car (part of the Emeritus team)?
The older car, as pictured in your other thread, is here in Chicago at the Museum of Science & Industry. I cannot imagine what the cars would look like now had the rules not changed. Also, very proud to see "Roush " as a sponsor. Sorry for the rapid fire questions.
consists of a whole host of electronics and circuits to maximize and smooth power flow, etc, of course, but no, there are no other power sources.
Modern solar cells can charge under a cloudy sky, but not nearly as quickly. They're not simply On/Off, like older cells were.
Depends on the type of battery. The cells should be good for a LONG time unless weather degrades them.
I am not part of the Emeritus crew. And to Blazefire's answer, the solar cells on the array are gallium arsenide, which are some of the most efficient cells out there. These cells are attatched to the car with silicon, and are encapsulated to protect them from the elements. Also, the type of cloud present is very important because they all have different scattering properties. (i.e. higher,optically thin cirrus clouds will let in a lot more radiation than thicker stratus clouds, although both may be considered "cloudy" skies to the casual observer). However, even the highest and thinnest clouds will scatter incoming solar radiation, creating diffuse ambient radiation which is not as ideal as blue skies. The higher the Direct/Diffuse radiation ratio, the better the charge. Sun angle also plays a large role in all of this, which is why you often see teams tilting their array toward the sun during evening/morning charges.
Pleased to think that I can feel good about our kids winning on the field and off!
Leaders and Best. Go Blue!
Thanks for the added info BF.
I was wondering why the car had a "flip top". I figured it was for driver ingress/egress but it's for charging as well (pretty cool). I do know the difference cirrus and stratus clouds can can certainly appreciate the corresponding effect on getting a good charge. Lots to think about, that's for sure.
February 28th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
This is quite interesting. I've never read about it before
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