American World Solar Challenge

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The American Solar Challenge (ASC) is a competition to design, build and rayce solar-powered cars in a cross-country event. In 2005 there will be a special edition of ASC, the 2005 North American Solar Challenge. Teams will compete in a solar vehicle rayce from United States through Canada! To learn more about this, please visit the 2005 North American Solar Challenge page.

 

American Solar Challenge is a solar car race across North America. Originally called Sunrayce, organized and sponsored by General Motors in 1990, it was renamed American Solar Challenge in 2001, sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Beginning in 2005, it is now called North American Solar Challenge with the addition of co-sponsor Natural Resources Canada. 

 

It is customarily held once every two years in the summer, though there was a three year gap between the first two races. Teams from universities in the United States and Canada compete in a long distance test of endurance as well as efficiency, driving thousands of miles on regular highways.

 

The first ever winner was the University of Michigan Solar Car Team's Sunrunner, with an average speed of 24.7 mph over an 1800 mile route.

 

In 2005, the longest race so far, the route covered 2494.9 miles, taking the teams from Austin, TX, USA to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Won by the University of Michigan for the fourth time with an average speed of 46.2 mph, the 2005 race was the most hotly contested ever. The University of Minnesota came in second, only 11 minutes and 52 seconds behind after 54 hours of racing. The lead teams often drove 65 mph (the maximum allowed), but were slowed by rain in Kansas, and 20 mph headwinds in Canada.

 

Classes

 

Teams in the race are divided into two categories; open and stock.

 

For the 2005 race:

 

  • Open class - Solar cells over $10 USD per watt (higher efficiency)

  • Stock class - From a pre-approved list of cells that are under $10 per watt

Previous races included different battery technologies into the class definitions.

 

 

Past Open Class Winners

 

 

Past Stock Class Winners

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Recent Updates


Online Regs Question Form  ASC2005 Kickoff Conference info  ASC2003 History with photos, standings, awards, press releases, and more.

 

Visit a Team Website


South Bank University in London, UK.

 

ASC HOME PAGE  About ASC
     
    

 

ROUTE 66 2003 COURSE


DOCUMENTS
ASC Regulations (PDF) Version Date: March, 2003
ASC Qual Regs (PDF) Version Date: May, 2003
Official Interpretations Keep up to date with official regulation interpretations - they are considered amendments to the Regulations.
ASC2003 Stock Class Approved Batteries
ASC2003 Stock Class Approved Solar Cells
FORMS & INSTRUCTIONS
Regulation Questions Looking for an explanation of a regulation? This form will submit your questions to the Regulation Committee.
Battery & Solar Cell Approval Forms
Roll Cage Sketch Roll Cage Sketch instructions. Submission deadline is September 1, 2002.
Structural Report Structural Report instructions (pdf). Submission deadline is April 1, 2003.
Scrutineering Instructions (pdf)
TECHNICAL RESOURCES
Getting Started Technical Resources for New Teams.
Battery Workshop Info (pdf) Battery information from ASC 2001 Workshop.
Lithium Battery Information (pdf) Additional information for teams using Lithium batteries.
Lithium Control Information (pdf) Control information for teams using Lithium batteries.
Lithium Battery Information (pdf) Cell Equalization Methods for Lithium Batteries.
Lithium Battery Information (pdf) Effect on Vehicle Performance of Extending the Power Region of Electric Motors.

 

HEADQUARTERS
PO Box 30
Freeman, MO 64746
USA
Fax: 816 - 250 - 5430

 

Rayce Logistics & Operations
Contact: Andrea Pagee
Email: hq@formulasun.org
Team Coordinator
Contact: Kate von Reis
Email: teams@formulasun.org
Toll Free: 800 - 606 - 8881

Media Relations
Contact: John Horst
Email: media@formulasun.org
Tel: 303 - 275 - 4709
Regulations / Technical Committee
Contact: Wayne Watson
Email: regs@formulasun.org
Formula Sun Director
Contact: Dan Eberle
Email: deberle@formulasun.org
Tel: 816 - 899 - 5511

 

 

 

 

LINKS TO OTHER SOLAR CAR EVENTS

 

American Solar Challenge     World Solar Rallye - Japan    Sunrayce

 

Related Events and Links       Formula Sun Grand Prix       Solar BikeRayce USA

 

 

 


 

 

Solar Cola - the healthier alternative

 


 

 

ORGANISATION A-Z

CAR'S NAME

TEAM NAME

Aristotle Uni of Thessaloniki, Helios

Helios

Faculty of Engineering

Arizona Solar Racing Team - USA

Arizona Solar Racing Team

Auburn University

Sol of Auburn

Sol of Auburn

Aurora Team, Australia

Aurora

Aurora Vehicle Association

Bochum Solar Car Team

Das SolarCar der Fachhochschule

California Poly S University

SLO Burn  Sidewinder

San Luis Obispo

Clarkson Uni Solar Car Team, USA

The Solar Knights

Delft University - Holland

NUNA I & II 2003

Dell Winston School

The Hunter

Solar Car Challenge

Desert Rose, Northern Territory Uni

FUJI DESERT ROSE

Drexel SunDragon Home Page

École de technologie supérieure Quebec

Eclipse V (5)

Éclipse Vehicular Solaire 

École Polytechnique de Montréal

Esteban

Eko-Auto  Poland

Eko-Auto

Electron Analytic Corporation

Dark Horse

EAC Skunkworks

George Washington University

George Washington Uni Solar Car

Georgia Institute of Technology

Solar Jackets

Solar Jackets

Heliodet, Germany

Heliodet

Heliodet, Solar Car Team

Helios - Lille, France

Hélios IV

Hautes Etudes d'Ingénieur

Honda Car Company

Honda

Illinois State University

Surya, Ratha, Mercury

Illinois State University Team

Iowa State University

Fusion

Team PrISUm

Jonasun  Japan

Orbit

Solar Car Paviion

Kansas State University

Paragon

Solar Car Racing Team

Los Altos Academy of Engineering

Los Altos Solar Car Team

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tesseract

MIT

McGill University Monteal, Canada

iSun

Team iSun

McMaster University

Phoenix

McMaster Uni Solar Car Project

Messiah College Grantham, Penns

Genesis II

Genesis II Solar Racing Team

Michigan State University

 

Solar Racing Team

Michigan Technological University

Solar Car Team

Minnesota S Uni-Mankato/Winona S Uni

Minnesota Solar Car Team

North Dakota State University

The Double Deuce

Sunsetters - Solar Race Team

Northwestern University

N'Uvation

Northwestern University

Nuon Solar Team, Netherlands

Nuon 3

Het Nuon Solar Team

Osaka Sangyo University, Japan

OSU model S

Solar Car Team

Prairie View A&M University

Solaris

Sun Panthers

Principia College

RA 6

Principia College Solar Car Team

Purdue University

SPOT 2

Purdue University Solar Racing

Queen's University Canada

Radiance  Gemini

Queen's Solar Vehicle Team

Red River College 

Red River Raycer

Red River College Solar Car Team

Rice University

Rice University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Rose-Hulman Solar Car Team

Southern Illinois Uni Edwardsville

Cougar Cruiser

Southern Illinois University

South Bank University, UK

Mad Dog

South Bank Mad Dog Team

South Dakota School Mines & Tech

Solar Motion

South Dakota Solar Motion Team

Southern Taiwan University Tech

Southern Taiwan Solar Team

Stanford University

Solstice

Stanford Solar Car Project

Tamagawa University - Japan

Tamagawa Solar Challenge Project

Team Futura, Italy

FUTURA 2

Team Futura

Team SunLake - Japan

Phaethon model

Team SunLake TOYOBO

Texas A&M University

Columbia Sunraycer

Texas A&M Motorsports Team

The Power of One  - Toronto

Xof1

The Xof1 solar car team

Tufts University

ANNE E. B. II

Nerd Girls

University of Alberta

University of Alberta Team

University of Arizona

Drifter

Solar Racing Team

University of Calgary

 

UC Calgary Solar Car Team

University of California-Berkeley

CalSol 

California Calsol Team

University of Kansas

Solution, CATalyst

KSU Solar Car Racing Team

University of Kentucky

Gato del Sol II

Solar Car Team

University of Massachusetts 

Spirit of Mass 413

Lowell Solar Racing Team

University of Michigan

Momentum

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

Borealis III

U of M Solar Vehicle Project

University of Missouri Columbia

Suntiger VI

The Mizzou Solar Car Project

University of Missouri Rolla

Solar Miner V

Solar Minor Car Team 

University of North Dakota

Subzero 3

Team SubZero

University of Ontario Institute of Tech

UOI Solar Vehicle Team

Uni of New South Wales SCR Team

UNSW Sunswift III

New South Wales SCR Team

University of Patras, Hermes

Solar Car Team

University of Pennsylvania

Keystone

Penn Solar Racing

University of Queensland

Sunshark

Queensland Solar Team

University of South Australia

Ned  KELLY

SA Solar Car Consortium

University of Texas at Austin

Solar Steer

Solar Vehicles Team

University of Texas at El Paso

 

Solraycers

University of Toronto

Blue Sky

Blue Sky Solar Racing

University of Toulouse

Heliotrope

Heliotrope Solar Car Team

University of Utah 

 

Vehicle Design Team Utah

University of Virginia

 

UVa Solar Car Team

University of Waterloo

Midnight Sun VIII

Midnight Sun Solar Race Team

University of Western Ontario

Sunstang

Sunstang USP Solar Car Team

USP Solar Car Team

USP Solar Car Team

Western Michigan University

Sunseeker 05

W Michigan Solar Car Team

Yale University

The John Lee

Team Lux

 

 

 

IF YOUR TEAM OR EVENT IS NOT LISTED HERE,  PLEASE CONTACT US.

 

 

 

 

1. Chassis - and seating

2. Mechanics - suspension, steering, brakes

3. Motor and drive train

4. Motor controller

5. Solar Array - usually part of body

6. Batteries or fuel cells

7. Electrical System - and instruments

8. Driver Controls - switches, lighting, etc

9. Bodywork - Screen, etc

 

 

 


 

 

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