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
BREAKING | A fight for 'the future of us all,' Trudeau says in speech to Ukraine's parliament
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a speech to Ukraine's parliament, where he called the war-torn country's fight against Russia's invasion a battle 'for the future of us all.' This comes after Trudeau announced Canada will be spending $500 million to help Ukraine's military fight Russia's invasion.

Public inquiry into foreign interference 'has never been off the table': LeBlanc
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says a public inquiry into foreign interference 'has never been off the table,' following the sudden resignation of special rapporteur David Johnston.
Here's how some of Canada's wildfires compare in size to cities, lakes
Fires across the country are burning millions of hectares of land but what does that really look like? CTVNews.ca compared the blazes to some cities and lakes in the country showing just how big they have gotten.
Lawmakers shouldn't wait for unmarked graves report to act, Murray says
Ahead of the release of her interim report on progress as Canada's special interlocutor on unmarked graves at former residential schools, Kimberly Murray says lawmakers at all levels of government shouldn’t be waiting for her findings to act.
'See it with my own eyes': Canadian teen in war-torn Ukraine to film documentary
A Ukrainian-Canadian teenager is on an emotional journey to capture the destruction of the Russian invasion, including of his childhood home, on camera.
Unhealthy habits of university students could lead to future health problems
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Preventative Medicine Reports by a group of international researchers has found that post-secondary students with unhealthy eating habits can go on to suffer from disease and mental health issues for years to come.
Three people charged in alleged abduction of N.L. teen after Amber Alert issued
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador say three people are facing charges following the alleged abduction of a 14-year-old girl.
David Johnston resigns as foreign interference special rapporteur, citing 'highly partisan atmosphere'
Foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston has resigned, CTV News has confirmed. In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Johnston cited the intense politicization of his appointment and work, as the reason for his coming departure.
Donald Trump stored, showed off and refused to return classified documents, indictment says
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed Friday that alleges that he described a Pentagon 'plan of attack' and shared a classified map related to a military operation.