A bunch of University of Michigan kids just traveled 1,880 miles through Australia. Not backpacking, however, but powering a solar powered car in an international race. And, as if that wasn't enough, the UM team came up third.
Excerpt:
Though the students who raced Infinium hoped
to be the best in the world, or at least the best in UM history, they
say they're happy sharing statistics with impressive cars from the
past. Michigan finished third in the World Solar Challenge in 1990,
2001, and 2005 and is the reigning North American Solar Challenge
champion. The team has won that race five times.
"We still ran a great race," said interim project manager Steve
Durbin, a senior aerospace engineering major "We have a reliable car.
We didn't meet our overall goal of finishing first, but we proved we
are one of the top teams in the world by placing so well in the
competition."
Durbin credits the team's dedication and technology for the solid
performance. Through the summer, a core of 20 team members worked
80-hour weeks to get the car ready to race. And a state-of-the-art
lithium battery donated by A123 Systems helped Infinium achieve a high
average speed approaching 60 mph.
Read the entire article
here.
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