Principia Solar Car » Updates

End of Fall

prinsolar — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:38:36 +0000

Dear Friends, The solar car team finished the semester strong going into winter break. The student team leaders wrote and presented a proposal to Dr. Palmer, Principia College’s president, asking for Principia’s support in reaching our goal of participating in the American Solar Challenge this coming summer. The meeting went over well and the team …

WSC 2011 Wrap-Up

prinsolar — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:19:13 +0000

G’day! Sunday was our last complete day in Adelaide and what a fulfilling day it was! The team attended a Sunday service at 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Adelaide. The members were so welcoming! Following the service, they graciously invited us to join them in a reception. We were able to meet and share our …

Crossing the Finish Line!

prinsolar — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:17:07 +0000

G’day! We have crossed the finish line in Adelaide! Yesterday morning, we made our way to the parade grounds near Victoria Square where we unloaded our car and prepared to drive the last few kilometers to the finish. Justin hopped into the car while the rest of the team loaded into a shuttle bus WSC …

Day 6

prinsolar — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:06:59 +0000

G’day fellow supporters! The last two days have been very wonderful out here in the Outback. Today was our second day of trailering from Coober Pedy all the way to Adelaide via Port Augusta. We have covered several more hundred kilometers and continue to see other teams along the drive. The atmostphere has been very …

A Different Perspective

prinsolar — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:56:59 +0000

G’day, Day 4 in the Outback ended up being a bit more challenging than the last couple of days. We left Tennant Creek in due time at our 8:22am start and blasted out of town. As we had a lot of built up energy due to our extra charging time in the sunlight from the …

Race Day 3

prinsolar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:26:55 +0000

G’day! After a pleasant overnight stop just south of Elliot with Team Bochum, we pulled out of our campsite just after 8am. This morning, the electrical team switched out 2 of our 26 modules from our battery pack in an effort to balance the pack out a bit more. By the end of today, the …

Race Day 2

prinsolar — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:43:58 +0000

G’day! After a very quick stop in the morning to fix a minor problem, we cruised to our second Control Stop in Dunmarra by 1:45pm in the afternoon. As I ride in the chase vehicle, I’m able to listen in to Joe’s (our chase van driver) and Steve’s (our lead van driver) excellent communication with …

Day 1 Complete!

prinsolar — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:58:10 +0000

G’day Mates! Yesterday was our first official day on the 2011 World Solar Challenge! Starting in 26th place out of 37 teams, we had a very harmonious start heading out of the city of Darwin. Many supporters made it out for the event and we had fun waving to all of them as we passed by. …

Qualifying!

prinsolar — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:37:36 +0000

G’day! We’ve officially qualified for WSC 2011! After a qualifying lap this morning and a brake, u-turn, and slalom test, we registered Ra 7s in the Northern Territory and received our SUN32 license plate. Justin did a wonderful job pulling our team through the qualifying round as teams were only allowed one driver for it. We …

Entire Team Reporting for Duty

prinsolar — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:25:56 +0000

G’day! I’m pleased to report that the entire team has now rendezvoused in Darwin! My name is Sten and I’ll be helping Lacey out with the team updates. I was stoked to be a spontaneous addition to the race team in 2009 and incredibly blessed to be a part of it again. This time, Julie …