SPRING 2022 NEWSLETTER
Thoughts from the Outgoing Director of Engineering
Excitement and Resurgence
This past year has contained a lot of excitement for Illini Solar Car. After restrictions and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally competed with Brizo in the 2021 American Solar Challenge. Upon arriving on campus at the start of the school year, our team embarked on a long-awaited new journey: starting our third-generation solar vehicle, codename: Project C. This vehicle will mark our return to Australia with its debut at the 2023 World Solar Challenge and will be our most competitive vehicle yet. The experience gained from our previous vehicles, combined with the new talent that has joined our team in the past two years, have driven this team to push the limits and come up with great designs. Everyone on our team is excited to be working on this new project and is looking forward to the day that we get to unveil our creation to the solar racing community. Until then, we will be using our creativity and engineering principles to build the next Illini Solar Car.
—
Michaela Luebbers
B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Class of 2022
$10,676
With the new year to kick things off, Illini Solar Car ran a crowdfunding campaign from November 24 through December 8. During that time, the crowdfunding results brought in a grand total of $10,676, just above our goal. To all who pitched in, from current friends of Solar Car to Alumni, thank you for donating and supporting the team. If you would like to consider donating, click the button to the left.
Project C Progress
With its drive cycle coming to an end, Brizo will be joining Argo in retirement. Up next is Project C, Illini Solar Car’s third-generation vehicle which has started development.
Here is an update from Matthew Zhang, Mechanical Lead, to check in on how our new car "C" is going so far.
Where are we with progress on the third car?
One of our biggest pushes right now is fleshing out the design of our car to start moving into the manufacturing phase. Specifically, we are nearing completion of the model of our aerodynamic shell and aiming to receive our molds by the end of the summer to start our composite lay-ups. Other current design work includes fleshing out the details of our battery pack design, developing a roll cage which will keep our drivers safe in case a crash happens, and finalizing the motion or kinematics of our suspension design.
How are new members influencing the design of the car?
A handful of new members have been greatly aiding the design of our next vehicle. For example, a member who joined the team this fall is currently designing the clear canopy that acts as the vehicle's windshield. In addition, new members have been designing suspension components, such as rods or mounts. Lastly, many of the new members have been helping out the composites team with preparing for the manufacturing phase of the car, which include planning for our molds to be constructed!
What have new sponsors contributed to the progress of the third car?
A sponsor that has helped greatly is Siemens. We use their
NX CAD software to model and plan the geometry of the vehicle before it is built, which is extremely helpful in the design-phase. Another software provided through a sponsor that our team utilizes is
ANSYS, which provides a host of computer-aided analysis tools which are currently being used to analyze whether our suspension and chassis will survive the loads we expect it to take, and determine how we can better optimize our structure. Lastly,
Flying S has been helping by lending their facilities and expertise in composite manufacturing to us in order to manufacture many of the structural panels for our vehicle.
New Member Spotlights
Meet Charles Wang!
A freshman in Electrical Engineering, he initially joined our organization because he believes he could learn a lot and have fun at the same time. His favorite part of Solar Car is the supportive community and the fact that he receives support from anyone at anytime. Currently, he was recently promoted to Batteries sub-team lead and works to design new PCBs for Brizo and Project C.
If you could have a superpower what would it be and why?
"I would like to be able to fly. Flying seems really fun. Imagine being able to fly to school!"
Meet V Verma!
As a freshman studying Computer Engineering, he decided to join Illini Solar Car this semester because he saw his friends participate in last semester's onboarding process and was intrigued by it. Eventually, he found a community that can have fun and work together. Currently, he is researching alternatives for thermistors and other wheel parts for Project C.
If you had to be shipwrecked, what two items would you want to have with you?
"Do dogs count as items? If so I want my dog and his bowls. Otherwise clothing and a shower would be preferred."
Graduating Seniors
Congratulations to all of our wonderful graduating seniors, the future holds great things for you!
The Road to the
American Solar Challenge
As the American Solar Challenge is approaching quickly, we are excited to inform you that we will be competing in the race this summer from July 1 to July 16. We will also be hosting a race team send off event in the near future.
The race kickoff will be hosted at the Siebel Center of Design's Gallery and Café, with food and drinks provided. For those able to attend you will have a chance at earning merchandise, including Crewnecks, T-Shirts, and more at our raffles.
If you would like to keep up with us on the race or find more details about the kickoff,
follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for live updates!