Solar-powered vehicle unveiled at Stanford: named Sundae
Stanford University Unveils Its New Solar Car, Sundae
In a sunny Saturday afternoon on its campus, Stanford University held an exciting event to unveil its latest creation – Sundae, a solar-powered vehicle built by the Stanford Solar Car Project, an entirely student-run team. The team has been designing and building solar cars every two years to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, an international race across Australia.
Sundae, named after its reference to the sun, is the team's newest solar car. Its primary goal during the race is to maintain a constant speed of 55 mph while avoiding breakdowns, with a secondary aim to rank among the top three competitors.
The smaller size of Sundae posed a challenge for the team, as it meant fitting more components and electronics into a compact space. To overcome this, Sundae features a catamaran aerobody, a design inspired by Arctan, the team's previous car. This design helps reduce air resistance, a crucial factor for endurance racing.
Sundae's solar panels are waterproofed to withstand rain, and its battery can last around 150 miles. However, the lifespan of the battery depends on the speed at which the car is traveling.
Despite the advancements in solar car technology, they are currently not practical for everyday use due to lack of surface area and high drag. Nevertheless, the team hopes that in the future, people will drive electric cars and get their electricity from solar farms.
The cost of Sundae, including sponsorships and other expenses, is approximately 2 million dollars. To ensure safety, the team aimed to build a battery for Sundae as safe as those used in Tesla and other electric cars.
Before the race, the team plans to drive Sundae for at least 2000 miles in California's Central Valley to test its endurance. The race for Sundae will take place in the Australian Outback on October 8.
As a tradition, ice-cream was served during the unveil event of Sundae, symbolising the team's optimism for a successful race. For detailed specifics on Sundae's design and a full history of previous cars, official Stanford Solar Car Project sources or recent competition reports would be required, as the available search results do not include this information.
The team at Stanford University, spearheading the Stanford Solar Car Project, is delving into science and technology to improve their sports prowess, as they strategize to maintain a consistent speed of 55 mph and compete for top rankings with their latest solar car, Sundae. In the grand scheme of things, the team envisions a future where everyday transportation is powered by solar energy, with electric cars sourcing electricity from solar farms – a vision that coincides with advancements in solar technology.
