FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 06/10/97
Contact: Margie Yu
Public Affairs Assistant
PHONE: (323) 343-3047
FAX: (323) 343-6405
Cal State L.A. Solar Eagle III Starts in the #2 Position at Sunrayce 97
Los Angeles, CA -- June 10, 1997 -- Cal State L.A.'s Solar Eagle III will be second off the starting line in the fourth-ever U.S. transcontinental solar car race -- Sunrayce 97 -- which will begin on Thursday, June 19, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.
Last month, in Mesa, Arizona, the spirited team of Cal State L.A. engineering and technology students placed first at the Sunrayce 97 Western Regional Qualifier with a qualifying mileage of 273.60 miles finishing ahead of solar cars built by Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, Texas A&M, and the University of Missouri. The Solar Eagle III vehicle will be in the #2 starting line position at Sunrayce 97, right behind George Washington University whose car finished first at the Eastern Regional Qualifier with a qualifying mileage of 276.86 miles.
This summer, from June 19-28, forty universities, colleges and technical schools from the U.S. and Canada will compete in the 1,980 km (1230 miles) Sunrayce 97 from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to race sponsors, "the fundamental mission of Sunrayce 97 is to promote and celebrate educational excellence. Fueled by the spirit of friendly competition and teamwork, Sunrayce 97 champions the creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a range of exciting disciplines."
The Solar Eagle III will leave its Cal State L.A. "nest" on June 10, when students, faculty, and staff will transport their solar vehicle by trailer to Indianapolis, Indiana. Racing through the summer solstice, team members will drive on highways and roads, pitting their car and racing strategies against the competing solar car teams vying for the national championship.
The Cal State L.A. Solar Eagle III weighs in at a little over 400 pounds without its batteries and driver. Using no fossil fuel, the Solar Eagle III is an electric car that gets its energy from the sun. The 762 terrestrial grade silicon cells by Siemens covering the top of the vehicle are mounted painstakingly by hand on an eight square meter section of the car's surface. These cells collect the sun's energy and pass it directly to the motor and to nine rechargeable conventional lead-acid batteries.
The careful craftsmanship evident in the Solar Eagle III is the result of hundreds of hours of work by an expert team of 15 students, 4 faculty and 4 staff, headed by mechanical engineering student Kathleen Hansen.
Sponsors
Solar Eagle III Corporate Sponsors, who contributed financial support to the project, represent L.A.'s top high-tech companies, engineering firms, local utilities, and transportation-related organizations including Automobile Club of Southern California, Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Lockheed Martin Corporation, NASA Langley Research Center, Southern California Edison Company, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Cal State L.A.'s University Auxiliary Services and Alumni Association. Additional financial support was received from more than 150 Cal State L.A. faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, corporations, and friends who participated in the Solar Eagle III "Buy a Solar Cell" campaign.
Solar Eagle History
In 1990, with no prior experience in solar vehicle technology, students from Cal State L.A. School of Engineering and Technology designed and built the University's first solar-powered electric car. With the expert guidance of Cal State L.A. faculty -- notably Richard Roberto, faculty adviser, the Solar Eagle garnered a 4th place in the national GM Sunrayce in the summer of that year. Competing against some of the top U.S. universities, and winning 10th place in the 1990 World Solar Challenge across Australia, the Solar Eagle quickly became know as "California's #1 solar car." In February, 1991, a new team of students was formed to design, construct and race the Solar Eagle II.
Cal State L.A.'s Solar Eagle II won the pole position for the Sunrayce 93 by being the fastest qualifying car at the Regional Qualifier held in Phoenix, Arizona, with an average speed of 50.04 mph over fifty laps. At the Sunrayce 93, a 1,200 mile national collegiate competition held in June from Dallas to Minneapolis, the Solar Eagle II captured a third place finish against 35 entries. At the Sunrayce 93 Award Banquet, the Solar Eagle II garnered two awards: second place for the Technical Innovation in the area of body and chassis design by Sunrayce 93 officials and third place Safety Award in Engineering Design by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The Solar Eagle II later went on to capture a 13th-place finish at the 1993 World Solar Challenge across Australia.
The Solar Eagle project has been one of the most successful endeavors in the history of Cal State L.A. and the School of Engineering and Technology, bringing significant recognition to the University and engendering unprecedented school pride throughout the Cal State L.A. community. All Solar Eagle student team members have gained unparalleled educational and practical experience; a number of students have already gone on to jobs related to the field of electric vehicles and alternative energy.
The original Solar Eagle was the only solar car on exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles from the museum's opening in 1994 through April 1997. Solar Eagle II will be going on display at the California Museum of Science and Industry in November of this year. The Solar Eagle (I and II) vehicles have been previously on view throughout the community and widely publicized locally and nationally, alerting the public to the need for environmentally clean transportation systems.
As for the June Sunrayce 97 challenge: "We want to get the word out that Cal State L.A. students can achieve a level of excellence that equals or exceeds that of students at the most prestigious institutions in the nation," says Raymond B. Landis, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Cal State L.A. "We're setting out to make a statement by winning the Sunrayce 97. Our aim is to bring home a first place finish to L.A."
For up-to-date Solar Eagle III race results, call (323) 343-4545.