The University of Michigan's Solar Car Infinium has successfully completed the World Solar Challenge finishing in third place. The team crossed the finish line in Adelaide, Australia cruising in at almost 110kp. In addition, the team also received the Technical Innovation Award.
The award is presented by the Australian Research Institute CSIRO, and is awarded to the team that pushes the envelope with regards to ingenuity in the development and racing strategies of a solar vehicle. They are proud of Infinium's many technological advances in our A123 Systems LiFePO4 batteries, sophisticated race strategy software suite, iPhone telemetry application, and especially lower surface concentrator system.
The World Solar Challenge is a biennial event based on a competitive field of solar cars crossing the Australian continent powered by nothing but the sun. Teams are required to research, build and design vehicles capable of completing the 3000km journey from tropical Darwin in the Northern Territory, to cosmopolitan Adelaide in South Australia.
The final design for includes many delicate control panels and circuits that control various functions of the car from cruise control to the lighting system. One primary component was providing enclosures for the car battery's.
Anything metallic was quickly declined because of weight. Some thermoplastic materials met the weight needs of the car, but Stahlin's fiberglass composite material met both weight and rigidity requirements for the vehicle.
For the fifth year in a row, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team was accommodated by enclosures provided by Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures. Stahlin's N Series enclosures with a clear window front met the exact size and performance specifications required by the University of Michigan Solar Car Team, while still meeting the program's weight requirements.
Key Features of the N Series:
+ Rainshield provided for water ingress protection
+ Rigid body construction and watertight seal
+ Memory retaining polyurethane gasketing
+ Integral mounting feet for ease of installation
+ Molded in panel mounting inserts
+ Special panel configurations available including dead front panels
"The associates at Stahlin are proud to support projects like the University of Michigan's solar car. Not only are they helping a unique and important project in time of rising transportation cost, they are also supporting young engineers that have gained valuable experience that they will take with them after graduation. Especially as the United States tries to make the switch to Renewable Energy," stated Jeff Seagle, President Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures.
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