Solar Phantom Team Ready To Go Racing Again

After more than a year of development, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's new solar-powered car is ready to represent the college in national engineering competitions this spring and summer.

The Solar Phantom VI was unveiled to the public during special campus ceremonies on Thursday, April 5. Road testing is scheduled to begin during Spring Break (April 8-14) when the car travels from Chicago to Amarillo, Texas -- a portion of the route being used for this summer's American Solar Challenge.

The new car has been designed for improved aerodynamics over the Solar Phantom V that set the American solar car endurance record and placed third in Sunrayce 99. Other improvements include the addition of more solar cells (for more available energy), weight reduction (for climbing southern regions of the Rocky Mountains) and cooling of mechanical components and the driver (to survive 120-degree July temperatures in the Southwest.)

This year's first competition will be the Formula Sun Grand Prix at Heartland Park Raceway in Topeka, Kan., on May 9-11. Rose-Hulman is the defending Formula Sun champion. Also in May, the Solar Phantom VI will participate in pre-race ceremonies before the Indianapolis 500, circling the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of its thousands of race fans.

The American Solar Challenge is scheduled July 15-25 from Chicago to Los Angeles, Calif., along historic Route 66. More than 40 cars are expected to compete this year, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, Stanford University and Texas A&M University. Rose-Hulman has defeated each of these teams in previous competitions.

The Solar Phantom team is an interdisciplinary project that allows students to explore their engineering, communications and management skills. A total of 25 students are members of the team. Daniel J. Moore, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is the team's faculty adviser.

- Story courtesy of Dale Long

See photos from the unveiling of Solar Phantom VI.

(Return to Solar Phantom News)