The American Solar Challenge (ASC), previously known as the North American Solar Challenge and Sunrayce, is a solar car race across the United States. In the race, teams from colleges and universities throughout North America design, build, test, and race solar-powered vehicles in a long distance road rally-style event. ASC is a test of teamwork, engineering skill, and endurance that stretches across thousands of miles of public roads.
The competition occurs every two years in the summer of even years. ASC 2020 was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Format and organization
Solar race cars and crews at the start of the 2005 race in Austin, Texas. Photo: Stefano Paltera/North American Solar Challenge.
Rules
Race consists of a series of timed stages between predetermined locations; all teams begin and end each stage in the same location
The team with the lowest overall elapsed time wins
The total area of all solar cells and related reflectors, etc. must not exceed 6 square meters
When the vehicle has stopped, the solar array may be reoriented toward the sun for charging batteries
Strict specifications and engineering scrutiny process is provided for vehicle configuration, safety requirements, and other standards
Previous races have divided teams into open and stock classes based on levels of solar cell and battery technologies.
The Formula Sun Grand Prix track race serves as a qualifier for the more prestigious ASC.
History
Originally called Sunrayce USA, the first race was organized and sponsored by General Motors in 1990 in an effort to promote automotive engineering and solar energy among college students. At the time, GM had just won the inaugural World Solar Challenge in Australia in 1987; rather than continue actively racing, it instead opted to sponsor collegiate events.
After the 2005 race, the U.S. Department of Energy discontinued its sponsorship, resulting in no scheduled race for 2007. Sponsorship was taken over for NASC 2008 by Toyota.[2] The American Solar Challenge is now governed by the Innovators Educational Foundation.
University of Michigan's Sunrunner, winner of the inaugural Sunrayce USA in 1990.
Sunrayce 95 ran along a 1,600-mile (2,600 km) route from Indianapolis, Indiana to Golden, Colorado. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Manta won the race with an average speed of 37.23 mph (59.92 km/h), followed by the University of Minnesota's Aurora II just 18 minutes behind.[6]
Cal State LA's Solar Eagle III, winner of Sunrayce USA in 1997.
1997
Sunrayce 1997 followed a familiar route from Indianapolis, Indiana to a finish line in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
California State University-Los Angeles'sSolar Eagle III won the nine-day Sunrayce 97.[7]Solar Eagle III averaged 43.29 mph (69.67 km/h), followed by MIT's Manta GT in second place.
Sunrayce 99, running from Washington, D.C., to Orlando, Florida, was notable for its lack of sunshine. The University of Missouri-Rolla's Solar Miner II won the race with an average speed of 25.3 mph (40.7 km/h).[8] The car from Queen's University placed second.
Minnesota's Borealis III crosses the border to Canada on July 21, 2005.Stanford's Solstice team in 2005.
2005
The 2005 race, renamed the North American Solar Challenge, was both the longest and most hotly contested race in the history of the event. The route covered 2,494.9 mi (4,015.2 km), taking the teams from Austin, Texas in the United States to Calgary, Alberta in Canada. The race was won by the Momentum from the University of Michigan with an average speed of 46.2 mph (74.4 km/h). The University of Minnesota's Borealis III followed in second place less than 12 minutes behind, with an average speed of 46.0 mph (74.0 km/h).[11][12] The lead teams often drove 65 mph (105 km/h) (the maximum allowed), but were slowed by rain in Kansas and 20 mph (32 km/h) headwinds in Canada. Stanford University's Solstice won the Stock Class, followed in second place by the Beam Machine from The University of California, Berkeley.
The 2008 North American Solar Challenge took place on July 13–22, 2008, mostly along the 2005 route from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. The University of Michigan's Continuum won the race with a total elapsed time of 51 hours, 41 minutes, and 53 seconds, marking that school's fifth victory. Ra 7 from Principia College followed in second place.[13]
As many of the top cars were bumping up against the 65 mph (105 km/h) race speed limit in the 2005 event, race rules were changed for 2008 order to improve safety and limit performance. Open class cars are now only allowed 6 square meters of active cell area, and upright seating is required for both open and stock class cars. The changes were carried over from the 2007 World Solar Challenge.
The 2010 race, renamed the American Solar Challenge, ran June 20–26, 2010. The University of Michigan finished in first place, followed by the University of Minnesota's Centaurus II in 2nd place and team Bochum from Germany in 3rd. The race route was entirely within the United States for the first time since 2003.[14]
Only four teams finished the 2012 American Solar Challenge, a 1600-mile race from Rochester, NY to St. Paul, MN, under solar power alone. The University of Michigan's Quantum won the overall competition, over 10 hours ahead of the 2nd place team. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place teams were only an hour apart from each other. In order: Iowa State University's Hyperion, Principia College's Ra7s, and the University of California, Berkeley's Impulse.[15]
The 2014 American Solar Challenge reverted to the familiar south–north race route starting in Austin, Texas, and finishing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The University of Michigan's Quantum once again took 1st place, followed by University of Minnesota's Centaurus III. Both teams had brought back their cars from the 2012 event.[16]
The 2018 American Solar Challenge ran from Omaha, Nebraska to Bend, Oregon from July 14 to July 22, 2018. ASC partnered with the National Park Service, and the route included stages and checkpoints at historic sights along the Oregon Trail. It was the first to include a Cruiser Class, featuring more practical multi-occupant Solar Vehicles. Western Sydney University's car UNLIMITED 2.0 won the Challenger class competition by a margin of 16 minutes—the closest finish in ASC history—as The University of Michigan failed to defend their title with their car Novum.[18] The University of Bologna won the inaugural Cruiser class competition, and the University of Waterloo became the first Canadian Cruiser Class vehicle to ever compete in ASC.
2020
The 2020 American Solar Challenge was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was held in 2021, with the starting point at Independence, Missouri and the end point at Las Vegas, New Mexico from August 4 to August 7. The team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took first place in the single-occupant class with Nimbus, with approximately 143 miles more in distance covered compared to second place, held by the University of Kentucky team. Appalachian State took first place in the multi-occupant vehicle class.
MIT posing with their back-to-back champion vehicle Nimbus.
