Solar-Powered Cars to Race Route 66; DOE's American Solar Challenge Longest in World at 2300 Miles

6/13/2003

From: Jill Vieth, 202-586-4940, Tom Welch, 202-586-5806, both of the U.S. Department of Energy, or Chris Powers of NREL, 303-275-4742

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The price of gasoline won't be a worry for 30 cars powered by nothing but the sun as they trek across the country July 13-23, along historic Route 66.

The teams from universities, companies and organizations around the world competing in the American Solar Challenge (ASC) will build and race what each hopes will be the fastest solar-powered car on the North American continent. The winner will be the car with the best cumulative time between Chicago and the Los Angeles area. At 2,300 miles, ASC is the longest solar car race in the world.

"The American Solar Challenge will advance renewable energy and electric vehicle technologies, promote educational and engineering excellence, and encourage environmental consciousness and teach teamwork," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said. "The race provides hands-on experience for engineering students, allowing them to build their technical skills for the 21st century marketplace."

The Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored event will start at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry July 13 and finish 10 days later in Claremont, Calif. It will follow Route 66 as much as possible, with checkpoints in Springfield, Ill.; Rolla, Mo.; Joplin, Mo.; Edmond, Okla.; Sayre, Okla.; Amarillo, Texas; Tucumcari, N.M.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Gallup, N.M.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Kingman, Ariz.; and Barstow, Calif; before reaching the finish in Claremont.

ASC cars must be powered solely by sunshine. The racers use photovoltaic (solar) cells to convert sunlight to electricity to power their cars. Weather and energy management play an important role in the race. The cars generally travel at highway speeds and are required to obey local speed limits, but in general, the sunnier the day, the faster and farther the cars can run. Bright days also allow the cars to "fill up" their batteries for cloudy or rainy days.

Designs for the vehicles are often low, sleek and colorful, with solar cells covering the car body. Although most solar cars are one-person, this year's race will see some of the first two-person cars.

This is the second American Solar Challenge. In the 2001 race, the University of Michigan's "M-Pulse" crossed the finish line first, completing the trip in 56 hours, 10 minutes and 46 seconds, for an average speed of 40 mph. Improvements in solar cells and batteries could mean an even faster race this year.

The race is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The U.S. Department of Energy's overarching mission is enhancing national security. The priorities of the department's energy program are to increase domestic energy production, revolutionize our approach to energy conservation and efficiency, and promote the development of renewable and energy efficiency technologies. NREL is DOE's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development and a lead lab in energy efficiency R&D.

Editor's note: A list of participating teams is online at http://www.formulasun.org. Race regulations and route information can also be obtained from the Web site.