The solar car in action in Texas. Photo by Bob Phelan, Missouri S&T.

Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Solar Car Design Team placed eighth in the Formula Sun Grand Prix. The race challenges collegiate teams to design and build solar-powered vehicles.

The competition, held July 4-8, took place at the Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 track in Austin, Texas.

Before racing began, teams had to pass scrutineering to ensure that all safety measures were in place. After technical and safety inspections, teams then moved on to the track for three days of racing. Teams raced to complete as many laps as possible on the track in an 8-hour timeframe. None of the laps involved head-to-head racing. Eighteen teams competed at the event, including teams from Canada and Puerto Rico.

Missouri S&T’s team started strong on the track on the first day, completing 14 laps and moving to third on the leaderboard before the car’s motor began to have technical issues. Regenerative braking caused the motor to overheat, which tripped the motor’s controller and damaged the car’s battery box. The heat also disrupted the motor’s timing. Team members repaired the damage and on the second day the car completed 20 laps. On the third day, the car completed 54 laps. The team was assessed penalties for using third-wheel braking, but still finished with 69 total laps, which earned the team eighth place.

Missouri S&T’s car is an all-carbon-fiber composite vehicle with solar panels on the top. The entire car, including its electrical components, was designed and constructed by undergraduate students at Missouri S&T.

“This race sets us up for an even more successful season next year, when the team returns to the cross-country American Solar Challenge race,” says team president Conner Kostelac, a senior in engineering management from Platte City, Missouri. “The course has yet to be decided, but we are already preparing for longer-distance racing.”

The Solar Car Design Team is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017, which makes it one of the oldest design teams at Missouri S&T. To learn more about the team, visit solarcar.mst.edu.

The Solar Car Design Team is one of 18 student-run teams in Missouri S&T’s Student Design and Experiential Learning Center (SDELC). The SDELC, housed in the Kummer Student Design Center, provides real-world team-based operations, including computer design laboratories, a manufacturing shop, office space and logistical support. Design teams mirror small start-up companies that plan large-scale projects, organize into departments, raise funds, communicate their ideas and solve open-ended design challenges. Most teams compete annually against other collegiate teams from around the country and the world. For more information about the teams, visit design.mst.edu.

The following students traveled to Texas to compete at the event:

William Applegate, a junior in mechanical engineering from Pacific, Missouri

Joseph Aydt, a junior in mechanical engineering from Edwardsville, Illinois

Jorge Bretzke, a senior in aerospace engineering from Seattle

Nicholas Covert, a junior in computer engineering from Pacific, Missouri

Weston Hartzell, a junior in chemical engineering from Buffalo, Missouri

Adam Hinkebein, a junior in mechanical engineering from Pacific, Missouri

Conner Kostelac, a senior in engineering management from Platte City, Missouri

Joseph Kurosz, a sophomore in electrical engineering from Imperial, Missouri

William Lorey, a junior in computer science from St. Louis

Ellie Lunte, a sophomore in ceramic engineering from Maplewood, Missouri

Alexander Moll, a senior in electrical engineering from Hermann, Missouri

Christopher Riske, a senior in mechanical engineering from Western Springs, Illinois

Michael Rouse, a junior in computer science from O’Fallon, Missouri

Jacob Schoonover, a junior in computer engineering from Cainsville, Missouri

Joshua Schoonover, a sophomore in mining engineering from Cainsville, Missouri

Brandon Terlouw, a senior in mechanical engineering from Chesterfield, Missouri.