U-M wins North American Solar Challenge for the fifth time
The University of Michigan’s Solar Car Team won the North American Solar Challenge, crossing the finish line in Alberta, Canada on Tuesday after more than 50 hours of racing over nine days.
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The car averaged around 45 mph and led from the first day, besting 15 university teams that raced the 2,400-mile course from Plano, Texas to Calgary. Continuum finished about 10 hours before the second place team.
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The
North American Solar Challenge normally takes place every other year in the same year as the world race, but in 2007 its previous sponsor backed out. The race’s future was in question until
Toyota took over the sponsorship.
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August 12th, 2008 at 7:19 am
The market for photovoitaic raises and raises here in Germany of 40 percent a year. In my eyes it´s the only sustainable and efficient way to to obtain energy. Maybe the solar-car races contribute to this development, maybe even ignite it, but there is still none of the automobile-companies that really showed an engagement on it. A sponsorship by toyota is too less, much to less in my eyes!
August 14th, 2008 at 10:03 am
What an amazing feat to achieve this. An average of 45 mph is quite some speed and to cover 2400 miles in 9 days must have taken a lot of grit and determination.
Also well done to Toyota for having the foresight to take on sponsorship for the team!