Introduction

The American Solar Challenge (ASC) is a competition in which teams from across the country design and build solar powered cars. Every 2 years, the cars that qualify for the challenge participate in a cross-country race that spans a 1500-2000 mile course. The cars are judged based on time it takes them to complete the course and distance they travel.

Montana State University’s newly-founded solar car club, Bridger Solar Team, is currently in the process of creating a solar car to enter into the challenge from MSU for the first time since 1995. To assist Bridger Solar Team, the senior capstone group has been tasked with designing the bulk of the electrical subsystems in the car. The group will be preparing a comprehensive report for the team detailing the electrical design of various subsystems in the car. The final report will be instrumental in the team’s journey to design, build and race the car in the 2019 ASC. To qualify for the challenge, the team intends to enter the car into the 2019 Formula Grand Sun Prix, a track race in which teams are required to prove that their vehicle is capable of participating in the ASC. 

Motivation

The motivation for preparing the design report is to provide Bridger Solar Team a proven design with which the team can use to kickstart the process of building its first solar car. For each of the included electrical subsystems, the capstone group's goal is to provide the following information: a quantitative explanation of the design process, a complete wiring diagram with cable sizing and a bill of materials specified with model numbers. Given the generated design report, Bridger Solar Team would have all of the information they need to physically build the specified electrical subsystems. The report will thus as a reference document with which a group of equipped undergraduate engineers could use to begin the construction of a solar car. The report will be prepared so that the document may be updated in the future as the Bridger Solar Team upgrades and builds new solar cars in years to come. 

Sponsor/Adviser Information

Bridger Solar Team | Montana State University

The Bridger Solar Team is the newly-founded solar car team at Montana State University.

Tel: (406) 407-3884
Email: solarteammsu@gmail.com

Dr. Hashem Nehrir | College of Electrical & Computer Engineering  

Dr Nehrir is a professor of electrical engineering at Montana State focusing in power systems and fuel cell design.

Office: COBH 626
Tel: (406) 994-4980
Email: hnehrir@ece.montana.edu