QUICK LINKS
Today's News
News releases
ISU homepage
Download/view
print-quality photos
ISU car updates, tracking
ISU car info packet
Team PrISUm web site
American Solar Challenge (daily results, tracking of cars, etc.)
|
 |
NEWS RELEASE
07-21-01
Contacts:
Nick Mohr, Team PrISUm, (515) 451-5630
Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917
SUN SHINES ON TEAM PRISUM ON DAY 7 OF ASC
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's solar car team, Team PrISUm, had an
abundance of sunshine in the seventh day of the American Solar Challenge.
The team drove its Odyssey car from Santa Rosa to Grants, N.M., a distance
of approximately 180 miles. Grants is about 80 miles west of
Albuquerque.
"We really had no problems with the car today, it was pretty smooth sailing
and we made it up the hills and into Albuquerque by early afternoon," said
Nick Mohr, director of Team PrISUm. "The car is running great and we've had
a lot of sunshine, which helps because we can run the car almost solely on
the energy from the solar array and only use a minimal amount of battery
power."
Mohr said the team would try to cover as much ground as possible in
tomorrow's racing, which includes crossing the Continental Divide.
"We aren't sure how far we'll make it because we'll traverse some hilly and
mountainous terrain," he said. "It will be a good test for the car and for
the team."
As of 7 p.m. (CST) the cars that have made it the furthest are University of
Michigan (just outside of Barstow, Calif.), Queens University (near Ash
Hill, Calif.) and University of Missouri-Rolla (near Essex, Calif.). All
teams must meet in Barstow, Calif., by Tuesday evening for a staged final
leg of the race from Barstow to Claremont, Calif., on Wednesday.
For official team standings go to
www.formulasun.org/asc. To view where
teams are on the race route, go to
www.formulasun.org/asc/tracking/index.html. Team PrISUm also is charting its
own progress and posting it on its web site,
www.prisum.iastate.edu/asc/#map.
The American Solar Challenge, a 2,300-mile race is being held July 15-25. It
is the longest solar car race ever attempted. The race course will follow
along portions of old Route 66.
The American Solar Challenge is designed to advance renewable energy and
electric vehicle technologies, promote educational and engineering
excellence, encourage environmental consciousness and teach teamwork. This
is the sixth major solar car race Iowa State students have participated in
since 1990.
-30-
|