SOLAR CAR
I joined the solar car team in 2019 and work primarily with mechanical and electrical leads to gain hands-on experience with lithium-ion batteries and solar cell wiring.
Formula Solar Grand Prix 2019
This July, we placed fifth in the Single Occupant Vehicle Track at the Solar Gran Prix in Austin, TX. Our goal is to qualify for the American Solar Challenge next year.
Skills
Timeline
Location
Electronic Team
Mechanical Team
Car Team Driver
Product Design and Testing
January 2019 - Present
Recent Competition
Evanston, IL
My primary task for the competition was designing and building the supplementary array, which are additional panels of solar cells that must be stored inside the car during racing and can be used for additional charging.
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Maximize surface area of cells
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Protect cells from damage while in car
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Non-combustible material
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Low-cost
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Light weight
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Stand and cell fit within car body
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Angle of stand maximizes sunlight
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Panel is rigid enough to support cells
Engineering Requirements
Solution
I used CES EduPack to determine the optimal materials, water-jet the PVC backing to reduce the weight of the panels, sandwiched this with Nomex for rigidity. I then modeled and laser-jet a stand out of polycarbonate with notches every 10º of the panel. Lastly, I adhered and wired the cells to connect to the car.
The deconstructed stand fits within narrow channels of the car's body.
Building the supplementary array is a short anecdote of some of the many team and technical skills that I've picked up on the solar car team.