Have you seen a solar car drive before? If your only experience with these vehicles comes from looking up at the one hanging in Davis Centre, you might not think they go very fast. In fact, most people are surprised when they’re told that Midnight Sun VII, the same one dangling like a fish off a hook in DC, can race along at 120 km/hour. And that was made ten years ago! Solar cars have been capable of driving on the road for a long time now. They continue to improve year after year, and as new technology and techniques become fully developed, solar car designs will become practical for everyday use. It’s a stretch to say that they’ll become fully viable for the market in the next few decades, but unless the sun gets fed up with us and floats far away to another galaxy, it’s very possible consumer solar vehicles will become a reality at some point in this century. Don’t believe me? Then you should visit the Midnight Sun Solar Rayce Car Team in E5 and check out what they’re doing.
For the past twenty-five years, Midnight Sun has been designing, building, and racing solar cars for competitions around the world. They are a student team comprised entirely of undergraduates in multiple faculties and departments, working together to push the limits of solar energy and show people how viable it can be. The team has since built ten solar race cars and won numerous awards along the way, including a Guinness World Record certificate for breaking the then world record of the longest journey travelled by a solar vehicle—over 15 000km travelled in a month! You might be wondering how they’re going to top that, if it’s even possible. Fortunately, the team doesn’t seem daunted by this challenge. In fact, they are very hard at work right now preparing for the next three years of races, parades, and elementary school visits. Why? Because Midnight Sun is releasing a new car!
Introducing MS XI, Midnight Sun’s next generation solar car! The team designed it to be more practical and familiar than a traditional solar vehicle. Will it drive like the car you keep borrowing from your parents? Yep. It has four wheels and you steer it sitting from the left. There’s also a passenger seat so your friends can bug you to drive them everywhere. And if you’re one of those people, you can lock yourself out of the car because MS XI has traditional car doors. As well, it is just as road worthy as their previous vehicles, cruising easily at 100 km/h. It also looks more similar to an average consumer car instead of the spaceship/skateboard hybrid they typically are. MS XI is a glimpse of the future, a demonstration that shows people how commercial solar vehicles might look and operate when they’re finally available to consumers. To many on the team, it is the precursor for bigger and even more exciting things to come.
“The ultimate goal is to make a fully practical, marketable solar vehicle,” says Aby Mahmoud, the Project Manager of Midnight Sun. “Performance-wise, solar cars have been ready for the road for a while now,” she continues, “The next challenge is to package it all in a way that is familiar, pleasing to the eye, affordable, and practical. MS XI is our first step towards that.” There’s a long journey ahead of them. The team admits that this is the first time they’re undertaking such a challenging project, and that building the eleventh car is only the beginning. However, with over 200 members working together from almost every department and program on campus, Midnight Sun is confident that their solar car projects will revolutionize energy consumption and transportation in the world. This isn’t just talk either; they’re going to prove it next year in May as they tour Ontario and show how capable MS XI is.
Starting from Ring Road, they will go on a one-week adventure through Ontario as a part of their Fundin’ the Sun crowdfunding initiative (http://bit.ly/fundthesun). They will be visiting schools, malls, science centers, and of course, some of their Indiegogo backers. The team will also be giving rides in MS XI along the way.
If you would like to learn more about Midnight Sun, MS XI, or the tour, the team is more than happy to talk with visitors in E5 1002. You can also find them on Facebook at uwmidsun and on Twitter @uwmidsun. And who knows, they might take you on a ride in their car!
THERE ARE PICTURES FOR THIS!!!
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