Power-Electrical Engineer Rohan Shah takes Quantum out for a spin around Chrysler’s Proving Grounds during our first time testing with the new 2012 Race Crew.
A week or so ago, we featured a story about our route survey for the American Solar Challenge this summer, and how we had a chance to meet some friendly competitors at the end: the route finished in St. Paul, and some members of the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project (UMNSVP) were kind enough to show us around their workspace. Last week we received an e-mail from these same Minnesotans, who were going to be passing through Ann Arbor on their own version of route survey. We were more than happy to return the favor by opening our doors to their crew.
(l-r) UMNSVP members Jonathan Nutzmann, Chad Furey, and Neil Dencklau talk with Race Strategy Director AJ Trublowski.
The Minnesota team is one of true veterans in North America: they were founded in 1991, and raced their first vehicle in 1993. They’ve built nine cars since then, and have provided some of our fiercest competition. Three of their team members – Jonathan, Chad, and Neil – rolled in at around 9:15pm on Monday on their way from Minnesota to the starting line in Rochester, NY. Our team rolled out the Quantum chassis, and everyone enjoyed an hour or two of swapping stories, comparing strategies and design decisions, and discussing solar racing in general. We’d like to thank the Minnesota team for stopping by – we wish them the best of luck in the construction of their new car, and look forward to seeing them at the race in July!
Q1 on the left, Q2 (still in race configuration) on the right. Clockwise spiral from upper left: Alec Wagner (mech), Troy Halm (mech), Santosh Kumar (alum), Evan Fletcher (micro), Ryan Mazur (Race Crew Chief), Andrew Huang (mech), Cole Witte (Eng. Director), Bryan Mazor (Strategy Director), AJ Trublowski (Race Strategy Director), Jonathan Nutzmann (UMNSVP), Chad Furey (UMNSVP), and Neil Dencklau (UMNSVP).
Photos and post by Operations Director Aaron Frantz, who was excited to see a tour group in the Wilson center that wasn’t a high school senior campus tour – with so many schools on break this time of year, they’ve been seemingly nonstop!
An image of the Mississippi River, a highlight of the ASC 2012 route.
With the Route Survey crew back on the road at 7:00AM, there was a lot more excitement in the air for a Tuesday morning. It was the day that they would travel through the final stage of the race and cross the finish line in St Paul, MN. Starting from the Best Western in Tomah WI, it was a short drive over to the final stage stop in Lacrosse. From there, only a scenic drive along the Mississippi River separated the tired but undaunted strategists from the finish line. The winding road offered many spectacular views and everyone agreed that it was one of the highlights of the ASC 2012 route.
The capitol building of St. Paul, MN – right in the heart of the city where ASC will be ending.
Once they left the highway, it was only a brief distance to the heart of the city, where the official end of timing of ASC is located. Arriving at the finish line and finishing Route Survey was perhaps the most exciting experience for the crew after several long days of driving through country roads and Route 66.
After admiring what will soon be the grand finish line of ASC, the team visited fellow Big Ten and ASC Competitor, the University of Minnesota as well as ASC Route Coordinator and Minnesota Alumni, Adem Rudin. The University of Minnesota Solar Car Team generously gave the crew a tour of their workspace and lent tools/floor space to perform final tweaks to the truck before the long journey home. As umsolar’s chief liason on all things pertaining to the route, Adem has been tremendously helpful throughout the entire route survey process. Thank you to Adem and the entire Minnesota Solar Car Team for their generosity!
AJ and Bryan speak with members of the Minnesota team within their workspace.
Of course, there was much solar car discussion between the two teams, but it did come time for the crew to get back on the road. With a long trek through the rain and snow back to the outskirts of Chicago, the team rested in lovely Schaumburg, IL at The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago – Schaumburg. Now, their remaining task is to drive back home to Ann Arbor, a task that, needless to say, is easier said than done. As you may have read in the previous blog posts this week, the crew has been experiencing transmission troubles with their vehicle – therefore, as Head Strategist AJ Trublowski likes to put it, “Finishing Route Survey is only half the battle.”
The rest of the team awaits the return of the strategists and wishes them a safe and hopefully smooth ride home! We’d also like to extend a thank you to The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel of Chicago-Schaumburg as well as manager, Max Wohlfarth, for their generosity in providing our team with a final resting spot before they come back to Ann Arbor! Thank you!
This post was written by Head Strategist AJ Trublowski, who, thankfully, will not be counting any more red lights for the remainder of the trip.
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Day Three of Route Survey started with the crew waking up 6 a.m. in Logansport, IN to enjoy a quality breakfast at the Logansport Inn. There they were able to discuss the driving plan for the day. After watching the morning news, it became apparent that the good luck with the weather and clear skies from the day before was running out as blizzard and ice warnings were being issued for Minnesota and Wisconsin over the next few days. With this information in their heads, they decided to take a more aggressive approach; driving more hours and covering more miles than had been attempted in the previous two days. As dawn broke, it was time for them to hit the road!
A snapshot of the famous Historic Route 66 sign on the route.
From Logansport, IN they drove north along country roads and state highways towards the stage stop in Normal, Illinois. One of the highlights of this drive was being able to take in some of the sights of historic Route 66.
After a quick rest at the campus of Illinois State in Normal, it was on to Wisconsin! However, the hills of Wisconsin proved challenging, as the all too familiar transmission troubles from Day One became apparent once again. The route survey crew pulled over immediately to assess the problem, and to their surprise within minutes of stopping a friendly Wisconsinite stopped by to see what was wrong and pointed them in the direction to the nearest auto parts store. Upon arriving to the auto parts store, they were again assisted by friendly employees who gave technical advice and the necessary tools to complete the fix, free of charge. With so much cynicism floating around nowadays, they found it was very refreshing to meet quality individuals from America’s heartland who were willing to offer a helping hand. That being said, the team would like to issue a very special thank you to the nameless Good Samaritan and Mike from Autozone for helping to keep the umsolar crew on the road.
Bryan and AJ crawl underneath the truck to fix the second round of transmission troubles. It is Cam's belief that by the end of Route Survey, the three of them will practically be mechanics!
Even with the car trouble resolved, fixing it took a toll on the team’s timetable, and forced them to drive the final leg of the day through the hilly Wisconsin Dells much later than they had originally planned. This made Day Three of Route Survey the longest one yet. After 15 hours on the road, the team was in dire need of some rest, and would like to thank Best Western of Tomah, WI and Rita Cartwright for providing them with complimentary rooms. Thank you!
After the long day of Route Survey, Cam is analyzing the data on the Panasonic Toughbook within the comfy accommodations of the Best Western in Tomah, WI.
This post was written by Head Strategist, AJ Trublowski, who is very thankful that Quantum does not have an automatic transmission.
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A snapshot of the Big House as the Route Survey passes through Ann Arbor on Day 2.
After all the wintry winds and transmission troubles from Day One, the route survey crew was relieved to have a less eventful day with clear skies when embarking on the second day of their journey. But, that does not mean it was any less productive for them. With over 12 hours of driving under their belts, the team covered about 500 miles for a total of almost 1000.
Day Two of Route Survey began in Lima, Ohio, where the team resumed the high speed highway racing style they had started the previous day. The strategists were able to make their way out of Ohio and back into Michigan, with a homecoming trip to Ann Arbor to observe the planned staged stop. In addition, AJ, Bryan, and Cameron bid farewell to team Meteorologist, Jeff Cwagenberg, who is now spending the rest of his spring break on sandy beaches elsewhere. Undeterred, the team carried on along the ASC route, which includes scenic highways through Lansing and goes into Kalamazoo for a checkpoint at the engineering campus of Western Michigan University.
Bryan Mazor next to the Bryan, OH city sign along the route!
After stopping in Kalamazoo, the crew traveled south to Indiana where they experienced and grew familiar with the open roads and quaint towns along the route. The small town of Bryan even helped strategist Bryan Mazor fulfill one of the items on his “bucket list” as they made sure to take a quick stop so he could get a nice photo with him and the sign.
At the end of the day, the team was able to spend the night within the beautiful accommodations of the Logansport Inn of Logansport, Indiana courtesy of Terry Zwirn. We would like to thank the Logansport Inn and Terry for providing the lovely room for our team, we appreciate your support and generosity!
Bryan Mazor sprawls across one of the beds in the Logansport Inn of Logansport, IN after a long day of Route Surveying.
Check back tomorrow for more on the Route Survey crew’s adventures through Indiana and into Wisconsin!
This post was written by Head Strategist AJ Trublowski, who once told Blogger Diane that the next blog post he writes would be his “Meet our Alumni” post, but clearly was mistaken.
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What many may not know is that it isn’t just having a well-built car or superior electrical system that can produce a win for a race; but it is also the strategy a team instills that can become the difference between first and second place. Part of that strategy entails having an expert knowledge of the race route, which can only be obtained by driving the route itself. And every year before the race a few umsolar strategists embark on a journey that is commonly called, “Route Survey”, where they drive the entirety of the race route from start to finish and record every inch with various technical instruments. By the end of Route Survey, they will be able to know every twist and turn from Rochester, NY to St. Paul, MN.
Day zero of Route Survey 2012 started out at just past 6 p.m. on Friday night from the team’s home base – the Wilson Center. Armed with food, blankets, gear, and passports, team strategists AJ Trublowski, Bryan Mazor, Cameron Herringshaw, and Jeffrey Cwagenberg had a plan to drive through Canada and reach the Rochester Institute of Technology in time for sunrise. After mounting the antennas to the top of the car, team meteorologist, Jeff Cwagenberg, took a quick look at the weather and to see how the snowstorms were developing. While the forecast that he had seen earlier in the day called for heavier snow south of Lake Erie (the US side of the border), the northern (Canadian) end appeared to be getting hit not only by heavy snow, but by freezing rain as well. And with that bit of information and Rochester, NY in their sights, they headed off through Ohio towards the starting point of ASC 2012.
The strategists packing up and getting ready to drive throughout the night to Rochester on Day 0.
Besides some cold temperatures, the weather was excellent for driving as they left campus. Their first stop on the estimated 7.5-hour trek to Rochester was a rest stop on the Ohio Turnpike. From there, they experienced much more difficult weather conditions. As the night progressed, strong winds and heavy bursts of snow caused weather data to become an important thing to look at. After trying to use their cellular Internet to get estimates, they found that the signal kept jumping in and out. At the next opportunity, Jeff pulled out what he likes to call the “little black XM box”. Solving their spotty cell signal problem, this “little black box” (graciously leant to the team by Baron Services Inc.) became the primary source of weather data as it is designed to collect weather data from XM Satellites anywhere in the USA, and provide this data virtually anywhere.
Jeff Cwagenberg drives at the start of Route Survey Day 1.
As they approached Rochester, signs reading “High Wind Warning” began to let them know what was yet to come. And even though they read the signs and analyzed their observations from the “little black box”, they were not prepared for what greeted them in Rochester. Opening the doors of the car, napkins and receipts immediately flew everywhere. Strong gusts of wind made it difficult to collect their belongings, but after doing so, they mounted their antennas for the morning, found their sleeping bags and tucked themselves in for a short night’s sleep in the parking lot.
After their brief nights sleep, it was once again time to start hittin’ the road, as Day One of Route Survey was about to begin. Although the wintry winds did not subside throughout the night, they did not stop the strategists from continuing on their journey. The first stage of the race starts in an exceptionally scenic area, running from the Rochester Institute of Technology to Erie, Pennsylvania (right along the coast of Lake Erie). It was then that the strategists all agreed that this year’s ASC looked to be a promising and exciting race. From there, they continued to go into Stage 2 of the race, which runs from Erie, PA to Mansfield, OH, then back to our hometown of Ann Arbor, MI. However, it was only a few hours later when the route turned south that the strategists found that the race seemed to shift gears from the hilly northeast to the technically challenging city driving Quantum would have to endure in Ohio.
Jeff, Bryan, and AJ try to assess the transmission problem at a local gas station.
After what would be considered fairly smooth sailing since the beginning, disaster appeared to strike the team – a disaster found in the form of transmission trouble. The trusty Chevy S10 generously loaned to the team by Bryan’s parents began to struggle when shifting on the highway. Fearing for the worst, the strategists immediately pulled off the road to the closest gas station to assess any damage. Thankfully, after close inspection, they found the culprit of the problems to be leaking transmission fluid rather than a busted gear. After filling the truck with a mechanic recommended transmission leak sealer, the team was back on the road again, where they continued until their final stop for the evening in Lima, Ohio, where the Holiday Inn Hotels and Suites- Lima East generously provided them with lodging for the night. Needless to say, it was quite a step up from their sleeping accommodations from the night before. The team would like to thank Holiday Inn Hotels and Suites– Lima East and Michele Knoch-Hicks for their wonderful generosity and hospitality!
Please check back tomorrow for Day 2 of the strategists’ journey through Route Survey!
The wonderful hotel room provided to the team by Holiday Inn and Suites – Lima East.
This post was written by team Meteorologist, Jeff Cwagenberg, and Head Strategist, AJ Trublowski, who were very happy to be able to sleep in beds after sleeping in the truck the night before.
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After weeks of waiting, the dates and route for the 2012 American Solar Challenge are now available. And to make things interesting, Ann Arbor, home of our beloved Solar Car Team, will host one of the stage stops. The first phase of the race begins with scrutineering from July 6 to July 9 at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, New York. The race itself, departing from Rochester, New York, commences on July 14 and finishes in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 21. The following is the-day by-day race schedule:
· July 14 – start in Rochester, NY; end in Erie, PA
· July 15 – start in Erie, PA; must reach checkpoint in OH (TBD)
· July 16 – end in Ann Arbor, MI
· July 17 – start in Ann Arbor, MI; must reach checkpoint in Kalamazoo, MI
· July 18 – end in Normal, IL
· July 19 – start in Normal, IL; must reach checkpoint in Madison, WI
· July 20 – end in LaCrosse, WI
· July 21 – start in LaCrosse, WI; end in St. Paul, MN
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After 5 days, 1800 miles, brush fires, dust storms, heavy winds, rain, and extreme temperature swings, Quantum finished 3rd in the Veolia World Solar Challenge.
It was an extremely close race, as for 3 days we kept pace with 1st place Tokai, and 2nd place Nuon. To put this in perspective, we camped out within 1 KM of Nuon 3 nights in a row. Unfortunately, heavy cross winds caused technical issues with the fairing mechanism, requiring repairs on the side of the road. Tokai and Nuon, spent zero time for roadside repairs, which was a key factor in the race outcome.
Further followup regarding the race outcome will be posted in the coming days.
We look forward to celebrating in Victoria Square with the other top teams tomorrow morning. We are all proud of our accomplishments, especially knowing that we are the first US team to win 2 consecutive top 3 finishes.
Go Blue!
Gerald making minor changes to the fairings
Gerald Chang, Quantum’s crew chief, knows all about commitment and its value. Gerald has dedicated countless hours to the Solar Car Team since the Fall of 2007. At that time, he was looking to join a team, and a friend steered him to one of the Solar Car meetings. Thereafter, Gerald attended the mechanical division meetings and began to learn the ropes in Ann Arbor while the race crew was competing in Australia. For the next several years, he became immersed in the solar car world.
Gerald making sure that the taping on Quantum is perfect before it takes off.
Gerald is a first –year grad student studying mechanical engineering. As crew chief for the team, he makes sure the car is prepared to drive. His experience for the last three years earned him the votes for the position, and he is certainly exceling. Nevertheless, he does expect there to be challenges with the job. For instance, he predicts that racing the car 100% of the time will definitely be difficult, and he knows that when Quantum won’t be racing, the competition will be gaining ground. But Gerald is also very excited to battle the top teams from around the world and to see the work put in over the last two years finally pay off. Regarding his time with the team, Gerald reflects, “It has been priceless. It isn’t something I could give up or trade away because it was my life and it left room for not much else. I learned and experienced things I will use for the rest of my life – as a person and as an engineer. Because of this I suspect it won’t take long for me to get acquainted with the industry I want to enter.” And he does indeed have an internship lined up in the future. After the race, he will travel around Australia for about a week and then will start his internship with SpaceX.
The post was written by team blogger, Carrie Schoeneberger.
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COE Updates University WSC Control Panel
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After 3 hard fought days of racing, Day 4 brought with it a key decision to make. With roughly 1200 km of racing left, and first place Tokai gaining ground, we decided to make an aggressive strategy call, by increasing our set speed, to move from 3rd to 1st.
Quantum performed very well for the first half of the day due to having a nice charge in the battery pack from running conservatively earlier in the race.
However, by mid-day, strong crosswinds combined with our high set speed, eventually caused us to have technical difficulties with our windowed fairings. This resulted in significant time on the side of the road to swap in spare fairings, and tweak the system to cope with the conditions.
By the end of the day, the team finished roughly 1.5 hours behind Tokai, and 1 hour behind Nuon at the Glendambo control stop.
We will resume driving tomorrow at 8 AM, with hopes of finishing the remaining roughly 600 km of the race by the evening. While our chances at improving our placement are slim, we are still optimistic, as Tokai and Nuon will be battling to the limit for first place. With significant cloud cover expected tomorrow, this could lead to one of them draining their battery, forcing them to stop and charge on the side of the road.
We will take tomorrow in stride, with hopes of being the first Michigan team to finish in the top 3, two years in a row.
Go Blue!
