May 16-2014
A team of students from Qazvin Azad University will be coming to the United States in a few weeks with a sleek, low-slung car they hope will do well in July’s solar car race.
The 19-person team is preparing to bring their solar car to compete for the first time in the annual American Solar Challenge.
The Havin-2, or Brilliant Sun, was tested alongside slightly larger gas-powered motor vehicles earlier this month on a stretch of highway in Iran. In July, the car faces an eight-day, 1,700-mile (2,700-kilometer) race that will take it from Austin, Texas, to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
While the engine and photovoltaic panels are imported, the team designed and developed a system for the car that interconnects inverters, battery chargers and other devices to optimize its photovoltaic cells.
Farkhondeh Naziri, 20, in charge of electronics on the project and the only female member of the team, said the team plans to optimize the car’s absorption of solar energy based on the route.
“We first do a simulation of the actual race course and study the weather conditions there,” she told the Associated Press. “Then we try to calculate what the sun’s angles would be during the eight days.”
The 485-pound (220-kilo) vehicle is 15 feet (4.6 meters) long, 6 feet (2 meters) wide and 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall, with a cockpit-like canopy for the driver. With photovoltaic cells covering 65 square feet (6 square meters) of its surface, the car’s lithium-ion batteries can propel it up to four hours between 56 and 93 mph (90-150 kph).
Professor Beitollah Akbari, who manages the Havin-2 team, said he believes the project could help advance the cause of clean energy in a country with severe pollution problems.
“Our young scholars and university students can significantly contribute to Iran’s economic growth, particularly in the field of clean energies that can help us reduce dependency on oil,” he said.