Blue Sky Solar Racing
Encyclopedia
| Blue Sky Solar Racing | |
| Established | 1997 |
| Affiliation | University of Toronto University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada... |
| Industry | Solar Car Racing Solar car racing Solar car racing refers to competitive races of electric vehicles which are powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels on the surface of the car . The first solar car race was the Tour de Sol in 1985 which led to several similar races in Europe, USA and Australia... |
| Latest Vehicle | Cerulean |
| Website | blueskysolar.utoronto.ca |
Blue Sky Solar Racing is a student-run initiative at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. The team aims to promote environmentally friendly technologies through the design, construction and showcasing of world class solar powered vehicles
Solar vehicle
A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy. The term "solar vehicle" usually implies that solar energy is used to power all or part...
. The project encourages students to participate in a long-term multidisciplinary project to augment their skills learned in class, and to make a positive impact on their community.
Since its foundation in 1997, the team has produced five vehicles that competed in a total of six international solar car racing
Solar car racing
Solar car racing refers to competitive races of electric vehicles which are powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels on the surface of the car . The first solar car race was the Tour de Sol in 1985 which led to several similar races in Europe, USA and Australia...
competitions. Their most recent vehicle, Cerulean, was ranked 5th at the World Solar Challenge
World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools...
2007, and 1st in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In addition to racing, the Blue Sky team also actively participates in community events to promote environmental awareness and innovation in technology. Through attending showcase events in schools around Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the team has generated a great deal of public interest in science and engineering while also educating students about environmental issues.
The team is currently working on its sixth generation vehicle to compete in the World Solar Challenge 2011.
About
Design Philosophy
The Blue Sky Solar Racing Team firmly believes that a passion for excellence is the greatest driving force in creating a competitive world-class solar vehicle. By fusing the team’s tradition of excellence with the experience gained over the years, this will form a firm foundation for developing future generations of Blue Sky vehicles.Project Objectives
- Demonstrate excellence in education through the design and construction of world-class solar racing vehicles that will represent the University of Toronto on the international stage.
- Advance critical thinking skills by combining higher learning with doing.
- Facilitate multi-disciplinary communication and community growth by combining a wide range of specializations on issues of industrial design and technological growth as they impact the environment and social values.
- Enhance the student experience by engaging communities, both locally and abroad in promoting renewable energy technology and application.
- Promote alternative and renewable energy technologies.
- Promote science and engineering as an exciting career path for younger students.
Team Structure
The Blue Sky Solar Racing Team is a multidisciplinary team composed of undergraduate, graduate students and alumni volunteers from the Faculty of Applied Science & EngineeringUniversity of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering is an academic division of the University of Toronto devoted to study and research in engineering. Founded in 1873 as the School of Practical Science, it is still known today by the longtime nickname of Skule...
, the Faculty of Arts & Science
University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science
The Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto is one of Canada's largest and most prestigious arts and science teaching and research institutions. With almost 22,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students, Arts and Science represents over half the student population on the...
, and the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management
Rotman School of Management
The Joseph L. Rotman School of Management commonly known as Rotman School of Management is the University of Toronto's business school, located in St. George Street in Downtown Toronto. The school, named after Joseph L...
at the University of Toronto. With over 1000 members from a diverse background since the start of the team, the team is able to offer a unique perspective on issues of sustainability and technological advancement. Team members are committed to demonstrating the viability of alternative energy technology and the practical benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to solving problems.
The First Vehicle
In 1997, the Blue Sky Solar Racing Team produced its first solar powered vehicle named Blue Sky Project. Being the very first car, Blue Sky Project served as a test bed to work out the organizational and operational relationships required to build a car that was capable of qualifying and participating in competition. The project was deemed as a success. The successful freshman effort gave the team a firm foundation to further expand its capabilities to compete with other well-established Canadian solar car racing teams such as Midnight Sun Solar Race TeamMidnight Sun Solar Race Team
The "" is a Canadian solar car race team affiliated with the University of Waterloo of Waterloo, Ontario. Founded in 1988, the Midnight Sun team is a student-run organization which designs and builds a solar vehicle biennially to compete in two solar challenges; the World Solar Challenge, held in...
and Queen's University Solar Vehicle Team
Queen's University Solar Vehicle Team
The Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team was a dynamic, multidisciplinary student design project at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose goal was to design and build vehicles that are solely powered by the sun’s energy. One of the two original Canadian teams, the Queen’s...
.
Florida SunDay Challenge 1997
As Blue Sky Solar Racing Team’s freshman effort in the competitive scene of solar car racing, Florida SunDay Challenge 1997 served as a proof that the University of Toronto had the capability to produce world-class solar vehicles despite their inexperience. Ranking 3rd overall in the competition with their first vehicle – Blue Sky Project, the rookie team’s impressive results fueled their expansion and development. Participation in the race also gave the team an invaluable learning experience which formed the foundation of the team’s later innovations.SunRayce '99
Blue Sky Solar Racing Team’s Blue II competed in SunRayce '99Sunrayce 99
Sunrayce 99 was an intercollegiate solar car race sponsored by General Motors, EDS, and the US Department of Energy. The race began on June 20, 1999 in Washington, D.C. and finished on June 29, 1999 at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida. The event was won by the University of Missouri at Rolla...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Finishing 9th in the qualifying round, Blue II showed great promise. However, the race was struck with poor weather conditions throughout the competition and recharging the solar vehicle became a great challenge for the team. The team was forced to adjust their racing strategy and optimize their power usage under the new weather constraints so they did not exhaust the battery. Despite such poor weather conditions, Blue II traveled over 2250 km over a span of 9 days and ranked 20th overall in the competition. The team was also awarded "Best Rookie Team" in recognition of their achievements in the race.
World Solar Challenge 2001
With the team’s third generation solar vehicle, Faust, the team toke on the world stage for the first time at the World Solar Challenge. Faust ran a perfect race without a single mishap and not once was there an emergency during the racing that required Faust to be pulled over. For 5 days straight, the team drove for 8 hours through the Australian continent covering 3010 km in total. The team ranked 14th overall in the competition, besting many teams with years of experience; an excellent achievement for a rookie team.American Solar Challenge 2001
The American Solar Challenge 2001 served as one of the greatest challenges that Blue Sky Solar Racing Team has faced to date. Crossing seven states, Blue Sky’s third generation vehicle, Faust, was tasked with overcoming long stretches of rough terrain. This put the vehicle’s handling and stability to the test as solar vehicles are rarely designed to withstand such a beating. The rough road conditions of the Great PlainsGreat Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
and Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
caused havoc to the suspension system in the vehicle and caused a cascade effect throughout other systems. Quick, temporary fixes were implemented when breakdowns occurred during official race hours, and long nights of repair would ensue at the end of each race day. After several sleepless nights, the team completed the 3595 km race in 79 hours 8 minutes and 57 seconds, which included 10 hours of penalties. The team ranked 12th in the competition and was one of the few teams that were able to fully complete the race.
American Solar Challenge 2003
With experience of the competition’s grueling road conditions, Blue Sky Solar Racing Team returned to the American Solar Challenge in 2003 with Faust II, the successor to Blue Sky’s vehicle in their first American Solar Challenge attempt. Traveling over across 8 states from ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Faust II proved to be an extremely capable race car. In contrast to American Solar Challenge 2001, Faust II was able to traverse the grueling terrain with no major on-road difficulties due to the improvements made to the vehicle. Logging 79 hours, 51 minutes, and 39 seconds of race time, Blue Sky captured 11th place overall and placed first out of all teams of equivalent solar array technology. The team was also presented with the American Solar Challenge Safety Award for outstanding safety practices during the competition.
World Solar Challenge 2007
Blue Sky Solar Racing Team’s fifth generation solar vehicle, Cerulean, participated in the Panasonic World Solar Challenge 2007 and finished with spectacular results. Traveling 3000 km across the Australian outback, Cerulean completed the race in 46 hours and 19 minutes with a top speed of 118 km/h. The team ranked 5th in the Adventure class which was the highest placing amongst all Canadian teams in the competition.Present
The sixth generation Blue Sky solar vehicle is currently in production and the team aims to participate in the World Solar Challenge 2011.Race Results
| Year | Race | Place | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | World Solar Challenge | 5th | |
| 2003 | American Solar Challenge | 11th | Safety Award |
| 2001 | American Solar Challenge | 12th | |
| 2001 | World Solar Challenge | 14th | |
| 1999 | SunRayce | 20th | Top Rookie Team |
| 1997 | Florida Sunday Challenge | 3rd |
Blue Sky Project
As Blue Sky Solar Racing’s first project, Blue Sky Project served as an experimental effort for the team to learn more about the production of solar vehicles. The vehicle was designed as a single-seated four-wheeler with a weight of 850 lbs. The project was completed in 1997 and was immediately put to test at the Florida SunDay Challenge 1997. The vehicle achieved extremely encouraging results for the rookie team and created a solid foundation and strong motivation for the team to continue developing solar vehicles.Weight: 850 lbs
Power: 650 watts, 14% silicon solar cells
Batteries: Lead-acid
Competitions: Florida SunDay Challenge 1997 – 3rd Place
Blue II
Upon the success of the Blue Sky Project, Blue Sky Solar Racing decided to immediately begin production of an improved solar vehicle – Blue II. With a much greater power output than the Blue Sky Project, Blue II was capable of achieving a top speed of 110 km/h and it was as a key milestone in the technical development of the team. Blue II was completed in 1999 and competed in SunRayce '99. After the vehicle was decommissioned, it served for several years as the main display in the team’s community education events in recognition of its milestone achievements.Weight: 968 lbs
Power: 750 watts, 15% silicon solar cells
Batteries: Lead-acid
Competitions: SunRayce '99 – 20th Place + Top Rookie Award
Faust
After learning from the experiences of their previous experimental vehicles, Blue Sky Solar Racing was prepared to make a splash on the international stage. In the design of their third generation vehicle – Faust – the team focused on several key concepts to produce a solar vehicle that was competitive in international competitions; mainly, to minimize drag and weight. This led to several drastic departures in their design traditions. First of all, in contrast to Blue II, Faust was designed as a three-wheeler to minimize rolling resistance and decrease the overall weight of the vehicle. Secondly, the chassis for Faust was made of an extremely lightweight hollow tube aluminum space frame which decreased the overall weight of the vehicle to only 440 lbs, nearly half of the weight of Blue II. These departures in design lead to vast performance improvements which made it possible for the vehicle to achieve a top speed of 140 km/h. Construction Faust was completed in 2001 and it participated in two competitions in the same year.Weight: 620 lbs
Power: 950 watts, 16.2% silicon solar cells
Batteries: Lithium ion-polymer
Competitions: World Solar Challenge 2001 – 12th place, American Solar Challenge 2001 – 14th place
Faust II
Looking to improve upon the success of Faust, its successor – Faust II – aimed primarily to strengthen the build of the body and reduce weight, thus allowing it to achieve faster speeds. Learning from the damage that the grueling road conditions in the American Solar Challenge 2001 brought to Faust, the team fitted Faust II with a composite fiber cloth body which made it extremely durable while also reducing the vehicle’s body weight by 40 lbs. Several other improvements were also made to the battery and motor of the vehicle. Production of Faust II was completed in 2003 and it participated in the American Solar Challenge 2003.Weight: 600 lbs
Power: 1050 watts, 16.8% silicon solar cells
Batteries: Lithium ion-polymer
Competitions: American Solar Challenge 2003 – 11th Place + Safety Award
Cerulean
While in the production phase of Faust II, Blue Sky Solar Racing began design on their fifth generation vehicle – Cerulean. Unlike its predecessors, Cerulean was designed as a double-seater vehicle; this allowed the team challenge themselves by attempting a new solar vehicle design with entirely different specifications and constraints.As a double-seater vehicle, the team was allowed to double the solar array output to 2300W and the motor power output to 13.4 hp. The team was also capable of keeping the vehicle lightweight by constructing a chassis from carbon board rails, thus minimizing the weight at 500 lbs. Despite being their first attempt at constructing a double-seater solar vehicle, Cerulean proved to be their most successful vehicle to date. With construction complete in 2007, Cerulean participated in the World Solar Challenge 2007 and placed 5th in its class, ranking it the highest amongst all Canadian teams.
Weight: 850 lbs (two passenger)
Power: 2000 W 27% GaAs solar cells
Batteries: Lithium polymer
Competitions: World Solar Challenge 2007 – 5th Place in Adventure Class
Azure
Blue Sky Solar Racing’s sixth generation vehicle - Azure - is currently in production process and they aim to compete in the World Solar Challenge 2011. The design of the vehicle is guided by three requirements. The vehicle must be able to achieve high speeds yet have low power consumption, exhibit great stability at high speeds yet have a low drag value, and have a great safety margin in critical components yet remain lightweight.The vehicle was officially unveiled on August 6, 2011.
See also
- List of solar car teams
- North American Solar Challenge
- Solar car racingSolar car racingSolar car racing refers to competitive races of electric vehicles which are powered by solar energy obtained from solar panels on the surface of the car . The first solar car race was the Tour de Sol in 1985 which led to several similar races in Europe, USA and Australia...
- World Solar ChallengeWorld Solar ChallengeThe World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools...