‘The University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project team provided a sneak preview of its newest solar-powered car
A close-up view of a solar panel on the new U of M solar car, the Centaurus II.
The University of Minnesota is one of only 18 teams from the United States, Canada, Germany and Taiwan competing this year in designing, building and driving a car completely powered by the sun.
The University of Minnesota’s car, named Centaurus II, is a completely new generation design from the university’s previous eight solar vehicles. The most noticeable change is the new design that incorporates drastically improved aerodynamics and solar array encapsulation to maximize speed and range for the race. The current car is just over 3 feet tall, about 16 feet long and nearly 6 feet wide. It weighs about 400 pounds.
The University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project (UMNSVP) is an organization of undergraduate engineering students who undertake the project of researching, designing, and constructing a solar vehicle every two years. The project endeavors to teach the aspects of engineering that are beyond what can be presented in a curriculum. Our team members' hands-on experiences add to the many strengths of our University education.
The 30 students on the team are all from the Institute of Technology (soon to be called the College of Science and Engineering). Team members estimate that they’ve collectively spent more than 50,000 hours over the last year planning and building the solar car. Materials for the U of M’s solar car were funded through cash donations and in-kind donations of parts and materials.
In addition to the Institute of Technology (College of Science and Engineering), major sponsors of the University of Minnesota’s solar car include 3M, Altium, Cirrus, Delta, PAR, Caterpillar, Freescale Semiconductors, General Plastics, University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, Programming Plus, EMJ Metals, Advance Circuits, AeroHydro, AltaMAR Laser, Finishline Design, Hexcel, Teklam, Neutrik, National Instruments, Plascore, Pro-Equipment, Sysco Asian foods, Vicor, and Wayzata Rotary Club.
For more information on the history of the university’s Solar Vehicle Project team and photos of the previous eight cars, visit www.svp.umn.edu.
The 30 students on the team are all from the Institute of Technology (soon to be called the College of Science and Engineering). Team members estimate that they’ve collectively spent more than 50,000 hours over the last year planning and building the solar car. Materials for the U of M’s solar car were funded through cash donations and in-kind donations of parts and materials.
In addition to the Institute of Technology (College of Science and Engineering), major sponsors of the University of Minnesota’s solar car include 3M, Altium, Cirrus, Delta, PAR, Caterpillar, Freescale Semiconductors, General Plastics, University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, Programming Plus, EMJ Metals, Advance Circuits, AeroHydro, AltaMAR Laser, Finishline Design, Hexcel, Teklam, Neutrik, National Instruments, Plascore, Pro-Equipment, Sysco Asian foods, Vicor, and Wayzata Rotary Club.
For more information on the history of the university’s Solar Vehicle Project team and photos of the previous eight cars, visit www.svp.umn.edu.
Contacts:
Rhonda Zurn, Institute of Technology, rzurn@umn.edu, (612) 626-7959 Ryan Maus, University News Service,maus@umn.edu, (612) 624-1690
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