Local university, college group builds car powered by the sun
Jun 17, 2009 - 11:30 AM
By Melissa Mancini
OSHAWA -- It's going to run on sun.
It's a solar car, built by a group called Omega Solar, that currently goes about 50 kilometres per hour. It's not much speed, but it certainly isn't a snail's pace.
"You'll notice it takes off rather slow; it's because we don't have a lot of power in the car. It's designated to long distances, it's not a formula car where it takes off really quickly," the team's electrical lead. Charles Elliott. said. "It's designed to go 3,000 kilometres."
And that's the challenge; for the team to get its vehicle to Australia for a 3,000-kilometre jaunt through the country. The ride is part of an international competition for solar car teams. It's no small race either. Past winners have included General Motors and Honda. Team budgets can be huge. Some groups have more than $4 million to create their dream car, Omega president Saurabh Srivastava said.
The local team is made up of about 20 students from Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The team was started by a manufacturing engineering student in the university's early years. Since then, Durham College students have joined the crew. The partnership between the post-secondary institutions allows the team to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills when designing and building the car.
"It's the best of both worlds," team member Scott Sykes said. "We wouldn't be where we are today without the college and the university working together."
Right now Omega's car is running in test set-up mode.
"Because it's a lot less expensive," Mr. Srivastava said.
The test car has a gear box made out of a Tupperware container. The "gas pedal" is contained in the plastic box. Eventually it will be replaced by a foot pedal, to make the ride feel more natural. But for testing purposes, a button in a container used to store leftovers works just fine, Mr. Elliott said.
So how does it work? The solar panels that will soon be placed over the body of the car will convert photons from the sun into electrical energy. The energy will be stored in the battery that powers the motor, Mr. Sykes said.
But it's not an easy process to harness the power of the sun, he said.
When the team takes off down under, it will start the first day with a full battery. Then it is up to the students to keep the battery working with only the power they collect from the sun while driving, Mr. Sykes said.
Because the battery can't be charged overnight, it is important to use as little energy as possible while driving. So the car was designed to be as energy efficient as possible. Design aspects like narrow tires and an aerodynamic shape have been factored into the final product to reduce drag and save precious power.
Soon the vehicle will leave Canadian soil to make a six-week trip by boat to Australia. By then, the car will have its solar panels put on and will be ready to ride.
Then, in October, members of the solar car team will drive their built-from-scratch ride 3,000 kilometres in the land down under from Darwin to Adelaide.
Website: www.omegasolar.ca
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