Kicking off the new year, we’ve been working around the clock to perfect SOCKEYE for the 2024 National Solar Car Challenge. Throughout January, our members have participated in ongoing projects as we continue to prepare for testing the car, with many members stepping up to lead their own projects.
On Saturday, July 23 2023, the RAHS Green energy team traveled to PACCAR Technical Center with the goal of finishing the year strong with a full final day of testing. We decided to push our solar car to the limit in an eight-hour endurance challenge to see how many miles the new car could drive […]
Energy management for solar car racing is critical. For our upcoming endurance test at PACCAR Technical Center, we want to travel as far as possible in roughly 7 and a half hours. To travel as efficiently as possible, we must make precise decisions on how fast to drive the car. The power needed to overcome […]
After learning the unfortunate news that we would not participate in the Solar Car Challenge, Larsen Matthew Mendoza summed up our emotions: “It’s upsetting, it’s really upsetting, but it’s not about the destination but the journey.” So we persisted. Our focus shifted from the cross-country open-road challenge from Texas to California to an endurance challenge […]
Just before the end of the school year, we received some unfortunate news. During the review of the insurance arranged by Solar Car Challenge (SCC) organizers, Highline Public Schools’ risk managers noticed a crucial exception: moving vehicles were not covered outside the Texas Motor Speedway, i.e., in our 1,200-mile cross country trip, student drivers would […]
During the last few months, the team has been working hard on preparing for our carbon fiber layup to construct the car’s aerodynamic shell. With the mold in its final state, we began the layup process. In doing so, we will have a one-piece shell which will allow for better aerodynamics and a smoother surface. […]
Over the past few weeks, the electrical team has been working towards completing the solar car’s battery cell array. With the lithium-ion batteries arriving, it has been time to design the battery holders. As opposed to last year, this year’s battery holders have been integrated with polycarbonate in one unit. Due to extensive iterations and […]
Ninth grade RAHS students were challenged to write about an aviation community that they often interact with. For freshman Luca Umbelino, it’s the RAHS Green Energy Team! Read about his carbon fiber oven project below. The RAHS Green Energy Team is a student-led club that annually builds a solar powered car and races it across […]
The structural team has been working relentlessly to try and to meet the February “Go/No-Go ” deadline. With confidence, the team has decided to “GO” and continue our efforts with the 2023 design. This past month, parts were being ordered, and designs have been finalized. Janicki has donated their time and materials to help us […]
Students test their solar cars on the final day of testing/racing. Over the past month and a half, our outreach sub-team conducted a series of after-school educational activities with the 5th-grade students of Hazel Valley Elementary School. Through these presentations and hands-on activities, RAHS Green Energy Team (GET) members introduced students to the importance of […]
