For months, 15 UNM electrical, computer and mechanical engineering students have been designing, building and testing a solar-powered car named Lobo del Sol. The team's goal is to race the car in the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2011 during Emerging Tech Day on Saturday, May 7, which is part of the Indy 500 pre-race celebration.
The public is invited to attend the unveiling of Lobo del Sol and to wish the team good luck Friday, April 29 at 11 a.m. in front of the Electrical and Computer Engineering building. The ECE building is on the southwest corner of main campus, #46 on the UNM map. Immediately afterward, the team will depart for Indianapolis.
The project is part of a course that teaches students how to build a car to compete in the American Solar Challenge event, a cross-country time/distance rally that covers from 1,200 to 1,500 miles between multiple U.S. cities.
"The UNM team designed and built a solar-powered, all-electric, aerodynamic car with a unique DC motor," says faculty advisor Olga Lavrova. "Students had to evaluate how each of the components of the car works with and affects other components. This is a truly seamless design."
UNM's solar car team is very grateful to their sponsors: PNM donated $25,000 and Schott Solar, which donated the solar cells. For more information visit: Lobo del Sol.
American Solar Challenge events have been staged for 20 years across North America. This year 12 teams from various universities are signed up to participate and compete. For more information visit: American Solar Challenge.
Media contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu