IE201 Slide 1 Solar Car Race - Problem Definition The Race The cars must rely on the sun for all their power. On days when there is little sunlight, the cars are powered by a battery pack. The battery pack must be charged by the sun. The basic rules of the race include: u The race lasts for seven days u The car's are required to drive a leg of the race each day, with a time penalty imposed if they do not finish. u The cars are allowed to race from 9:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. u The cars are allowed to charge their battery pack from the time they finish racing for the day until 8:30 p.m.

IE201 Slide 2 Solar Car Race - Problem Definition The Team The solar car is surrounded by two vans that serve to protect the delicate vehicle. Additional responsibilities include: u Lead Van - Navigates course and makes sure traffic laws are followed. u Chase Van - Determines optimum speed for the car and handles communication between all vehicles. u Some teams also have a van that is several hours ahead of the convoy to relay weather information.

IE201 Slide 3 Solar Car Race - Problem Definition The Strategy The main strategic aspect of the race is determining the optimum speed for the car, which is based on: u Amount of sunlight u Charge remaining in the batteries u Weather forecast If the speed is set too high, the batteries might run out of power and, depending on the amount of sunlight, the car might not be able to finish a leg of the race. Likewise, if the speed is set too low, the car will lose time to its competitors and not have as much time at the end of the day to charge its batteries. It is essential to test the car to determine the relationship between power use and velocity. This way, the strategist can compute the speed of the car, based on its available power.

IE201 Slide 4 The Car : u A large, delicate solar array panel collects the sunlight. u The solar array can be used to power the car of charge the battery pack u The tires are similar to a mountain bike’s, only modified so that they are thinner. u The frame, which is the part of the car that supports the body, is susceptible to cracking. Cracks in the frame or loose fasteners on the suspension can cause the chassis to fail and the car to detach from the wheels. u A loose connection in one of the wires in the car can cause the motor controller, a device that controls the timing of the car’s electric motor, to fail. u The battery pack is comprised of many individual batteries. During pre-race testing, information can be obtained about individual batteries, but, during the race, the strategist can only obtain information about the performance of the battery pack as a whole. Solar Car Race - Problem Definition