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Throughout the years, we've constructed and raced four solar cars. We are currently working on a new car this year, using Purdue's car mold which was generously loaned to us by the Purdue Solar Car Team. However, this will not be finished for at least another two years. Komachi      That leaves us with our current car, Komachi (top). Komachi has been racing for four years. However, 2009 is the only year where things went smoothly. It can go up to 15 mph and not discharge its batteries. The solar array on its roof was donated by MIT, and is estimated to be worth $10,000. The array outputs around 500 volts on a sunny day to charge the batteries. Komachi is outfitted with three 12 volt batteries that keep it going on a 100 km race at at least 26 mph. It can take a 90 degree turn at 50 mph without flipping, but it begins to slide at around 25 mph on a 90 degree turn. Its front two wheels have a cantilevered suspension which fit just inside all of the limitations of the USA Solar BikeRayce. On the back wheel, a brushless motor is mounted, using a belt to turn the wheel. The running amperage of Komachi is around 40 amps, but the max amperage is 60 amps. During the race, two holes cut in the front keep the rider at a comfortable temperature. The visibility out of the car is extremely good, except for the two supports in the front that block front peripheral view. The Driver is safely held in by a five point harness, and wears a motorcycle racing helmet. Komachi 2009 This year (2009), Komachi, driven by John Powers and Ned Bingham, got second place at the Solar BikeRayce in Neosho, Missouri. The race was extremely close, and given another two minutes, it would have placed first. Komachi took the first 20 laps of the race slowly, trying to conserve energy while the other cars raced ahead. Then with the end of the race in sight, Komachi raced ahead while all of the other cars were dying. It kept up its new speed of 26 mph around all of the turns, drifting into each new orientation smoothly. However, one other car had also used our strategy, and had lithium-ion batteries, so the race was on. The two cars swapped places for ten laps, racing around the turns. Komachi's lead-acid batteries died, leaving the car on solar power. The other car raced ahead and lapped Komachi once. Then their batteries died, and it was the war of the arrays. Komachi began to catch up with the other car, but was unable to get the one extra lap it needed before the time limit ended the race. Komachi 2008 In 2008, Komachi was driven by Amanda Burgoon and Ian Byers-Gamber. That year, Komachi went through some troubled times. First, before the race and during pratice rides, Komachi was crashed on the curb. The front underbelly had been destroyed, and the carbon was in tatters. That night, Cole Skelton, Cindy Kvale, and Amanda Burgoon stayed up until 2:00 AM bondo-ing the hole to make the car race-worthy once again. The next day was race day. During the first part of the race, the car performed well, starting slow to conserve energy. However, as the day went on it began to have issues. The motor was brand new, but the shaft somehow was not machined in like it should have been. Every ten minutes, the driver had to turn around and hammer it in with a mallet, and the mechanics were racing out to help the car way too often. This slowed Komachi down drastically, leaving it third in the s-class overall and second in the s-class high school categories. Komachi 2007 Komachi 2006 Komachi 2005 Sora      Before Komachi, Sora (second down) was the team's s-class racer. Sora was much lower to the ground than Komachi. Every part on Sora was made from scratch by solar team members: the frame was welded together, the wiring assembled, the carbon bodywork was done, and even the solar cells were all tabbed together. This process took a very long time, and it was only running for two or three years before Komachi came along. Sora 2004 Sora 2003 Sora 2002 Sora 2001 Old Sora      Old Sora (third down) is ancient history which nobody but Kvale knows. However, inferring from the pictures, Old Sora was our s-class racer in 2000, and it was green. Old Sora 2000 Older Sora      Older Sora (last down), is even older history, which even Kvale may have forgotten about. This was our first s-class racer. It had minimal solar panel area and no suspension. Older Sora 1999