Illini Solar Car

This summer our team competed in the American Solar Challenge and the Formula Sun Grand Prix.

To start off the competition, all teams participate in Scrutineering. This is where our car is inspected and tested to make sure it is safe.

Next, we raced on a track in the Formula Sun Grand Prix. This is where teams compete against each other on the track and qualify for the American Solar Challenge.

The longest part of our competition is the American Solar Challenge. This summer we drove from Nashville, TN to Casper, WY.

During Scrutineering, Calypso was put to the test. Despite our team not being scheduled until the third day of Scrutineering, we were able to get several "greens" on the first and second day!

To qualify for the track race, we have to get greens in 11 stations: Safety, Driver Registration, Driver Operations, Lights & Vision, Body & Sizing, Electrical, Battery Protection, Mechanical, Dynamics, Array Testing, Impound, and ASC Support Vehicles.

After building and fixing Calypso to pass all of the stations, we qualified for the Formula Sun Grand Prix! Our starting position was our lucky number: 22.

During the Formula Sun Grand Prix at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Kentucky, we drove 80 laps total over a two day time period. This is over 250 miles!

We also qualified 3 drivers during the Formula Sun Grand Prix. For individual drivers to qualify, they must drive 17 laps (about 50 miles).

One of the biggest difficulties we faced was the weather. There was a downpour of rain that tested the waterproofing of our car and made any work we wanted to do challenging.

At the end of the Formula Sun Grand Prix, we provisionally qualified for the American Solar Challenge!

The American Solar Challenge

The 2024 American Solar Challenge started in Nashville, TN and ended in Casper, WY. Through a partnership with the National Park Service, the route covered 7 different National Historic Trails, giving our team a unique way to learn more about the areas we traveled through.

The American Solar Challenge works by all the teams first driving a base route. At checkpoints along the route, teams have the opportunity to complete loops. These loops give additional miles to the team's total if they are able to fully drive the loop. At the end of the competition, the team that has driven the most miles wins.

This year, our team drove 1486 miles on the base route and 96 miles on loops. The total amount of miles we drove (minus a small penalty) during the American solar challenge was 1566! This means that Calypso drove nearly 2,000 miles combined between FSGP and ASC. We also finished 4th in the SOV class.

Our team is so grateful to have been able to participate in the American Solar Challenge this year, especially with a brand new car. A huge part of our ability to compete is through donations from our generous sponsors and donors.