Fall 1997

Solar Phantom rolls to fifth in Sunrayce 97

Members of Rose-Hulman’s Solar Phantom IV race team surprised the competition, Sunrayce 97 organizers and themselves with a fifth-place finish (out of 36 teams) in this summer’s cross country solar car adventure.

The performance was the team’s best finish in Sunrayce; was better than all Big Ten and Ivy League teams; and showcased the team’s engineering skills, with no major breakdowns during the 10-day, 1,240-mile race from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs, Colo.

"Our goal was to be in the top 10. Fifth place was icing on the cake," said Team Leader Eric Ward, a member of Rose-Hulman’s 1995 team that finished 14th across a similar Sunrayce route. "It was good to look up at the standings and see us in between Texas A&M and (two-time Sunrayce champions) Michigan. We’re running with the big boys now . . . We proved that we can develop a dependable, competitive and safe car. Other teams took notice of us."

The Solar Phantom made its presence felt on the first day of competition, improving nine spots (17th to eighth place) over a 65-mile route from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a homecoming on the Rose-Hulman campus. The team was a model of consistency thereafter, never finishing lower than 10th on any day of the race.

That wasn’t the case for other Sunrayce competitors. For instance, George Washington University, the fastest car in qualifications, experienced a series of front suspension problems and dropped out of the race on Day 6. Electrical problems hindered others.

"Our car was so reliable," stated John Weil, a member of the electrical engineering unit. "We knew that the car was going to be ready at the starting line each morning at 10 a.m. and would finish each afternoon."

Added chief mechanical engineer Anthony Heap: "People kept waiting for us to fail . . . Consistency was the key. Everything went surprisingly smooth."

There were some anxious moments. For instance, chief electrical engineer Brad Konkle located a short circuit in the solar array the lifeblood of any solar-powered vehicle minutes before leaving Manhattan, Kan., to start Day 6. It required an eight-minute pit stop to make repairs. The team still finished 10th for the day.

Such teamwork was saluted by Sunrayce officials and former Phantom team members. (Rose-Hulman received one of three sportsmanship awards at the post-race banquet for good deeds and fair play.)

"Rose-Hulman was an organized and determined team from the first day I saw them at qualifications. They looked like a ‘team.’ I knew they were going to be one of the top teams," said Sunrayce 97 Co-Director Tom Sheffler of General Motors Corp.

"If you wanted something fixed, you didn’t find one person fixing it, four or five were there to help. This was truly a team effort," said Phantom II Team Leader Dylan Schickel (Mech. Eng./Economics, ’93), who traveled with this year’s team. "They ran the car to its fullest potential and stuck with their game plan during the entire race."

That strategy was formulated during more than 1,300 miles of pre-race vehicle tests an advantage past Solar Phantom teams didn’t enjoy. Those tests also helped team members make one of their most important decisions: Picking the right type of battery for the reserve energy pack. The team originally planned to use a battery that could be recharged quickly, and possessed a higher stack voltage believing that it would be advantageous on cloudy or rainy days. (Rain severely hampered Rose-Hulman’s efforts during Sunrayce 95.) The alternative was a special electric vehicle battery that needed eight to 10 hours to fully recharge.

After considerable discussion and further testing, team members selected the alternative voltage batteries manufactured by Delphi Automotive Systems, specially designed for electric vehicles.

It was a decision that would reap benefits throughout Sunrayce, starting with completing 255 miles at the Last Chance Qualifier. "The higher stack voltage allowed us to finish each leg of the race and remain competitive," says Konkle, who helped set the team’s race strategy.

Other key elements were the hub-based, 12 horsepower electric motor that helped the car’s energy efficiency; the purchase of encapsulated solar cells in late 1996, allowing the solar array to be complete this past winter; and the support of Rose-Hulman’s administration, faculty and staff.

"Hopefully, this is just the beginning of great things for the Solar Phantom project," Ward said. "We’ve set the table for the team to do even better in 1999. Freshmen and sophomores carried the project this spring when the seniors were at co-op assignments, worrying about graduation and finding jobs. The future is definitely in good hands."

by Dale Long