University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team

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University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team
AbbreviationUTSVT
Formationca. 1988-90
TypeStudent Organization
PurposeDesign effective alternatively powered vehicles
HeadquartersJ. J. Pickle Research Campus
Austin, Texas
Membership (2013)
50[1]
Faculty advisor
Prof. Gary A. Hallock
Parent organization
Longhorn Racing
Websitelonghornracing.com/solar-vehicle
Formerly called
Longhorn Solar Race Car Team

The University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team (UTSVT) is a student-driven effort to design, build, test, and race solar vehicles for the purpose of reinforcing skills learned in the classroom, raising awareness of solar power, and bringing solar power closer to practicality. To accomplish this task, a multidisciplinary group of students from various disciplines in the Cockrell School of Engineering, and from other schools across the University of Texas, such as the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences[2] come together to design and construct the most efficient vehicle as possible.

The vehicles are completely powered by the sun and are entered in competitions against universities from across the United States and internationally. The team serves as the host for American Solar Challenge (ASC) and Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP).[2][1] In addition to participating in races, the team participates in outreach events to educate the general public and K-12 students about the excitement of STEM careers and alternative energy.

Vehicles[edit]

Texas Native Sun I[edit]

UT's first solar car was Texas Native Sun, built with a graphite and epoxy composite monocoque body, 1,000 solar cells, and 66 nickel-hydrogen batteries.[3] A 2 hp (1.5 kW) high-density permanent magnet electric motor powered its continuously variable transmission.[4] The teardrop-shaped car's length, width, and height were 19 by 6.5 by 5 feet (5.8 m × 2.0 m × 1.5 m), and it weighed 320 pounds (150 kg). Its top speed was 65 mph. Project advisors included professors Gary Vliet and Ron Matthews.[5]

It competed in three races—Sunrayce 1990 (placed 22nd out of 32),[6] Sunrayce 1993,[7] and the California Clean Air Race 1991 where it placed second out of 30 teams.[8]

Texas Native Sun II[edit]

UT's second solar car, Texas Native Sun II, was a two-seater and larger than the first, weighing 1,000 lb (450 kg).[9] It featured a bespoke electric hub motor and controller supplied by lead-acid batteries.[10] Texas Native Sun II raced in the Tour de Sol in 1996 placing fourth in its class.[8][11]

Solstice[edit]

The team's third solar car was named Solstice,[11][9] which was built for Sunrayce 1999 but never completed.[12]

Solar Steer[edit]

With construction beginning in 2004, Solar Steer was UT's first vehicle to have lithium-ion batteries and a carbon fiber body.[8] It was completed in 2005 at a cost of $90,000. The solar array is made of 600 photovoltaic cells grouped in modules of 50, and split into three subarrays, for a total area of 8 m2 (86 sq ft).[13] A maximum power output of 1,200 W (1.6 hp) could propel it to a cruising speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) and top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h).[14]

It was entered in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge but could not compete due to poor weather and a steering malfunction.[8][11] The team also entered Solar Steer into the North American Solar Challenge for 2006.[15]

Samsung Solorean[edit]

Samsung Solorean

Design began in early 2007 for UTSVT's next car, to be named after their sponsor, Samsung, and the DeLorean in Back to the Future. The chassis is chromoly tubular steel supporting the carbon fiber body. The battery pack consists of 598 LG 18650 lithium ion cells.[3] The solar array is an assembly of 393 SunPower A-300 monocrystalline silicon cells split into three arrays able to produce up to 1.21 kW (1.62 hp).[15][3] A National Instruments CompactRIO controls all electrical subsystems.[11] The motor is a New Generation brushless permanent magnet motor that can provide 3.75 kW (5.03 hp) of power at 95% efficiency while weighing 20 kg (44 lb).

UTSVT completed Solorean June 2008, just too late to compete in the North American Solar Challenge that summer. Samsung Solorean competed in the 2009 and 2010 FSGP and 2010 American Solar Challenge.[16][17]

TexSun[edit]

TexSun was completed spring 2013 at a cost of $140,000,[18] $50,000 of which was donated by Circuit of the Americas.[19] The three-wheeled vehicle has an aluminum space-frame chassis, carbon fiber body, and uses an Enertrac 602 hub motor to power the rear wheel. The batteries are lithium iron phosphate.[20] It weighs between 500 and 600 lb (230–270 kg).[21] The solar panels, mounted to a carbon-kevlar wing, provide a maximum of 1,300 W (1.7 hp).[19] The car has a theoretical top speed of 60 to 70 mph (97–113 km/h).[21]

TexSun placed sixth at the 2013 Formula Sun Grand Prix held at Circuit of the Americas for the first time.[1][22] It also participated in the 2015 and 2016 FSGPs, and competed for the last time at the 2017 FSGP the team hosted.[8]

BeVolt[edit]

Production of BeVolt (portmanteau of Bevo and volt)[2] began in the spring semester of 2017 to be race-ready for Formula Sun Grand Prix 2018.[23] UTSVT again targeted summer 2019 for completion.[24] The planned specifications for the car include a 4.8 kWh lithium ion battery, a 4 m2 (43 sq ft) solar array producing 985 W (1.321 hp), and two DC hub motors together good for 2 kW (2.7 hp). The team designed for a weight of 160 kg (350 lb) for BeVolt by using a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and kevlar solar wing.[25] This car fell behind schedule and was ultimately cancelled in 2020 following multiple manufacturing difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic. BeVolt was budgeted at $180,000.[18]

Lonestar[edit]

Planning of a new car began during the fall 2020 semester, with a goal to race during 2022. UTSVT designed their latest car, Lonestar, to weigh 600 lb (270 kg) and have a solar array of 260 cells that produces 875 W (1.173 hp). Design work, finished in December 2020, was done predominantly virtually, with students spread far due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This also impacted manufacturing due to limited hours at J. J. Pickle Research Campus and some team members still working remotely.[26]

The team brought Lonestar to the 2022 FSGP but could not race after technical inspection revealed an issue with the battery management system. The team will utilize the car as a test bed for the next car's development, which started summer 2022.[27]

Project X[edit]

After Lonestar was found to have disqualifying issues, Project X was started in the summer of 2022. This vehicle is currently in development, is expected to complete by June 2024, and will be given its official name when unveiled. It will compete both in the FSGP and ASC races that year.[28]

Team leads[edit]

UTSVT's longtime faculty advisor is Dr. Gary A. Hallock, who has provided guidance since 2004.[3][19] The current team is led by captain Sidharth Babu, chief engineer Jacob Yan, mechanical lead Nathan Lee, electrical lead Manthan Upadhyaya, and controls lead Ishan Deshpande.[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Carls, Drew (June 24, 2013). "Ready, Set, Solar!". UT News. The University of Texas at Austin.
  2. ^ a b c "UT Solar Vehicles Team - Help us Build "BeVolt"!". HornRaiser. October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "History". UTSVT Newsletter. Winter 2008–2009 – via yumpu.com.
  4. ^ "Texas Native Sun-I". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. Archived from the original on 2011-11-05.
  5. ^ Greth, Carlos Vidal (July 18, 1990). "Timed Travels at the Speed of Light". Austin American-Statesman. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Sun of a gun! Michigan car hums to a win". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. July 20, 1990. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Durand, Maria F. (June 17, 1993). "Racing for a place in the sun". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 21A, 28A – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Solar Vehicle History". Longhorn Racing.
  9. ^ a b Purohit, Siya Raj (May 8, 2011). "Through all these cities and all these towns: Flashback to 1989". The University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team.
  10. ^ "Texas Native Sun-II". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. Archived from the original on 2011-11-05.
  11. ^ a b c d "Solorean". UTSVT Newsletter. Fall 2007 – via yumpu.com.
  12. ^ "Solstice". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. Archived from the original on 2011-11-05.
  13. ^ "UT Solar Vehicle Team Builds Cool Solar Car". UT ECE. July 20, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-01-02.
  14. ^ "Solar Steer". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. Archived from the original on 2009-12-23.
  15. ^ a b "Samsung Solorean". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10.
  16. ^ Hallock, Gary A (Fall 2011). "EE362S Syllabus: Development of a Solar Car for ASC". UT Direct.
  17. ^ "Solar Car Shines in National Competition". Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The University of Texas at Austin. July 26, 2010.
  18. ^ a b "Race to the Future: UT Solar Vehicles Team Inspires Sustainable Energy Design". Silicon Labs. November 19, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c "UT Solar Vehicle Team Races at Circuit of the Americas". Electrical & Computer Engineering at UT Austin. June 26, 2013. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  20. ^ "TexSun". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10.
  21. ^ a b Davantes, Tristan (July 11, 2017). "UT Austin hosts Formula Sun grand prix". The Daily Texan.
  22. ^ Tahir, Rabeea (June 24, 2013). "Students charge up for Formula Sun Grand Prix". The Daily Texan. pp. 6–7 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Hakeem, Meraal (February 24, 2017). "Solar vehicle team speeds on to success". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  24. ^ "Solar" (PDF). Longhorn Racing Monthly Newsletter. February 2019. p. 1.
  25. ^ "BeVolt". University of Texas Solar Vehicles Team. 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02.
  26. ^ Vu, Kevin (May 2, 2021). "Longhorn Racing showcases new generation of solar car". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  27. ^ "Solar" (PDF). Longhorn Racing Monthly Newsletter. August 2022. p. 4.
  28. ^ "Solar Team". Longhorn Racing. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  29. ^ "Solar Leads". Longhorn Racing. Austin, TX: UT SAE. Retrieved 2023-07-31.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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