Last week, our team mounted and wired the six solar panels on top of the car’s solar panel rack! This major milestone is what makes our car solar!
Each panel is laye on top of an aluminum panel rack that provides structural support to each panel. The rack is attached to the car with two main support beams that extrude out of the chassis of the car, the rack is also held up with two small steel bars at the rear of the vehicle to minimize the sagging of the panels.
Testing
Our team members, Cooper LeComp and Jon Wick, have integrated live telemetry data for our car! The system records dozens of variable that are essential to understanding the car’s dynamics.
The telemetry data shows us our GPS tracking, power input from solar panels, velocity, amperage use, and much more after each test.
Data is recorded through a WiFi connection from the car to a mobile hotspot and uploaded to our team servers for live and accurate data!
Expect to learn more about this telemetry system in another blog post soon. You will be able to check out our car’s progress in the middle of the race!
Our Car’s (current) Top Speed: 55 kph! (~34 mph)
Wiring
When it comes to wiring the car, we’ve designed a few slick features to hide the wiring and make our car look even better!
The wiring on the solar panel rack supplies power for the brake lights and turn signals (and hazard lights). The solar panel wires are also hidden from view and are routed through one of the rack support beams above all the electrical components.
Also, a special view of the beauty of our car!
We can’t wait to keep you posted on our progress as we reach our deadline!