Soak up the sun: Dalhousie engineers build Atlantic Canada's 1st solar-powered car
Engineering students at Halifax’s Dalhousie University are getting ready to debut a solar car of their own design at an international competition.
The team has been working on a solar-powered electric vehicle prototype -- the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada -- ahead of the 2023 Formula Sun Grand Prix.
The annual track competition sees college and university teams from around the world race their solar-powered cars in closed circuit courses.
“We’re going to be racing it this June in Kansas and we’re really, really excited about it,” says Kate Arsenault, a member of Dalhousie’s solar car team.
“A lot is going into it right now. The base of our car is actually from Illinois State University, we purchased it from them, and we gutted the entire insides of it and are redoing everything that basically makes the car run.”
The Dalhousie team hopes to send a 15-member race crew to Kansas for the five-day event.
They’re currently fundraising for the trip, with a goal of $20,000.
The group says the funds will go towards registration, travel and other race-related costs.
The car they’ll be racing features several solar panels, which take energy from the sun and convert it into electricity.
“From there, it flows into (a) high-voltage box where we have four boxes that will take the solar energy and put it into our battery box,” says solar team motor lead, Noah Bugden.
“From there, the energy from the battery flows through the contactors, comes all the way … to the motor controller and then the motor itself. It’s what makes our car move.”
The team has grown from five members to more than 80 since it was founded in 2021.
The group is made of electrical, computer, mechanical, chemical, environmental, industrial engineering and computer science students at Dalhousie.
“Our team is amazing. We all put so much work and so much effort into it. Each person plays their own part,” Arsenault says.
“We really want to show people how powerful clean energy and clean transportation can be. We’re really passionate about climate solutions. The whole team is really interested in it. A lot of our target careers are going towards climate change and climate solutions.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6947028.1719779131!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Canada Day is forecast to be rainy for many this year. Here's a look at weather and fireworks celebrations
Canada turns 157 years old this year, and several fireworks shows across the country are expected to paint the night skies in celebration. Here's a look at the forecast and fireworks celebrations across the country for Canada Day in 2024.
Gathered at Camp David, Biden's family tells him to stay in the race and keep fighting
U.S. President Joe Biden's family used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance.
B.C.'s Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury Festival
A crowd of around 100,000 people were treated to a surprise appearance from a B.C. star during Coldplay’s set at Glastonbury Festival in England this weekend.
Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests that feeling is dwindling
A new poll suggests the vast majority of Canadians are proud of their home and native land, but our sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.
WestJet calls on feds for ‘urgent clarity’ around strike after 800 flights cancelled
A strike by WestJet plane mechanics forced the airline to cancel hundreds more flights on Sunday, upending the plans of roughly 110,000 travellers over the Canada Day long weekend and prompting the carrier to demand action from the federal government.
Neighbour on the hook for $3,675 in damages due to ‘nuisance cedar’: B.C. tribunal
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
A study identified 6 types of depression. Here’s why that matters
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.
Russian state media claim Kanye West is visiting Moscow
Unconfirmed reports say American rapper and producer Kanye West is visiting Moscow. If true, it would make West the first major American celebrity to visit Moscow since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
RCMP says a police chase involving an RV in Lloydminster has resulted in multiple injuries
Several people were injured Saturday night after a man allegedly stole an occupied RV during a police chase at a campground in Lloydminster.