Cal State LA Solar Car Team
The Cal State LA Solar Car Team is an engineering team from California State University, Los Angeles. The team develops the Solar Eagle, a series of solar cars that have taken part in solar car races in the United States and in Australia.
Solar Eagle
- 1990: Solar Eagle - GM Sunrayce USA: 4th place.
- 1990: Solar Eagle - World Solar Challenge: In the top ten.
- Now on display at Cal State LA.
In July, the Solar Eagle placed fourth in the 1,643 mile GM Sunrayce. California's number one solar car finished ahead of 28 other colleges and universities including such prestigious institutions as MIT and Stanford.
The team's out-standing capabilities will be further demonstrated at the November 1990 World Solar Challenge in Australia.
Results from the GM Sunrayce
Overall finish: Fourth place
Daily race results: First place,
Second place,
Third place
Solar Eagle was the only car having no mechanical or electrical failures during the 1,643 mile race.
Department of Energy Awards:
First place for "Best Artistic Design",
Second place for "Innovation in Power Train Design", Third place for "Teamwork"
Society of Automotive Engineers Award:
Fifth place for "Engineering Design and Safety"
Other Honors
Engineering Excellence Award: Unique Mobility, Inc.
The Governor's Energy Award: State of Florida
Team Honored by Los Angeles City Council, August 10, 1990
Nationally televised appearance on Into the Night, Starring Rick Dees, August 15, 1990
Team Honored by Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners, August 23, 1990
City of Los Angeles, Mayor Tom Bradley: Commendation
Board of Directors, City of Pasadena: Commendation
City of Alhambra, Mayor Barbara Messina: Commendation
City of Monterey Park, Mayor Judy Chu: Commendation
U.S. Senator Pete Wilson: Commendation
U.S. Congressman Matthew G. Martinez: Congressional Award
Car Specifications Length: 6 meters
Width: 2 meters
Height: 1 meter
Weight: 459 pounds
Drag Coefficient: 0.123
Frame: Welded 6061 T6 aluminum alloy tubing
Body: Carbon fiber/NOMEX composite sandwich
Solar panel: Fiberglass/NOMEX composite sandwich
Solar cells: 8,945 Spectrolab K7 single-crystal silicon space quality cells
Motor: Unique Mobility, Inc. DC brushless motor
Batteries: Eagle-Picher silver-zinc batteries; 120 volt nominal buss voltage; 4 kW-hr total capacity at C20 rate
World Solar Challenge Start: Darwin, Australia
Finish: Adelaide, Australia Distance: 1,900 miles
Date: November 11, 1990
Entries: 40 cars from 9 countries
| Student | Faculty | Staff |
| Derrick Hamilton Student team leader/Race logistics and strategy | Richard Roberto, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Adviser and Chief Engineer | Dan Roberto, Mechanical technician Chief Machinist/ Mechanical Systems |
| Richard Benavides Solar panel assembly | Raymond B. Landis, Dean of Engineering and Technology Fund-raising/Public relations | Mike Obermeyer, Electrical design Power electronic assembly |
| Robert Diefenbach Batteries—Telemetry instrumentation | Chivey Wu, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Aerodynamics | Michael Hackleman Technician Solar panel assembly/System design support |
| Scott Downer Lead engineer/ power electronics | Steve Felszeghy, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Structural analysis/Race strategy | Elissa Schrader, Department of Mechanical Engineering Logistical support |
| Kevin Ear Solar panel assembly | Le Tang, Professor of Technology Power electronics | |
| Chris Enriquez Driver/Mechanical systems | ||
| Ricardo Espinosa Driver/Mechanical systems | ||
| Armando Garcia Solar panel assembly | ||
| Hlda Gomez Power Electronics Assembly | ||
| Nader Lotfy Batteries/Telemetry instrumentation | ||
| Harry Mkhitarian Motor and controller | ||
| Chris Miller Body fabrication | ||
| Kitty Rodden Aerodynamics | ||
| Jeff Silverstone Chief driver/ Mechanical systems | ||
| Gwan The Driver/Body fabrication | ||
| Robert Tsai Mechanical systems | ||
| Suchon Tsaowimonsiri Mechanical systems |
Solar Eagle II
- 1993: Solar Eagle II - GM Sunrayce USA: 3rd place;
- 1993: Solar Eagle II - World Solar Challenge: 13th place.
- Now on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Cal State L.A. was selected as one of 30 universities granted entry in the SUNRAYCE 95 competition and work will soon begin revamping the Solar Eagle II for that event.
Major Corporate and Government Agency Sponsors
• AB2766 - Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee
• Automobile Club of South-ern California
• Caltrans
• Hewlett-Packard Company
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• MacNeal-Schwe-Corporation
• NASA Langley: Center
• Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.
• Society for the Avancment of Materia Process Engines.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District
• Southern California Edison
• TRW
Vehicle Technical Specifications
Length: 16 feet
Width: 6.1 feet
Height: 3.3 feet
Weight: 360 pounds
Structure: Welded aluminum space frame with carbon fiber composite battery box and underneath pan to provide shear and torsional strength.
Body: Carbon fiber skin with Rohacell structural foam core.
Solar power system: 754 single crystal BP Saturn cells on top; 824 quarter-size cut cells on vehicle sides. Cerium doped and antireflective
| Student | Faculty | Staff |
| Rick Aguilera mechanical systems | Richard Roberto, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Adviser and Chief Engineer | Dan Roberto, Mechanical technician Chief Machinist/ Mechanical Systems |
| Dane Atol mechanical systems | Raymond B. Landis, Dean of Engineering and Technology Fund-raising/Public relations | Mike Obermeyer, Chief Electrical Telemetry hardware/software design Power electronic assembly |
| Roland Cerna mechanical systems; alternative driver | Chivey Wu, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Aerodynamics | Michael Hackleman Technician Solar panel assembly/System design support |
| Scott Downer Lead engineer/ power electronics | Steve Felszeghy, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Structural analysis/Race strategy | Elissa Schrader, Department of Mechanical Engineering Logistical support |
| Kevin Ear Solar panel assembly | Le Tang, Professor of Technology Power electronics | |
| Chris Enriquez Driver/Mechanical systems | ||
| Ricardo Espinosa Driver/Mechanical systems | ||
| Armando Garcia Solar panel assembly | ||
| Hlda Gomez Power Electronics Assembly | ||
| Nader Lotfy Batteries/Telemetry instrumentation | ||
| Harry Mkhitarian Motor and controller | ||
| John Aventino Body fabrication | ||
| Chris Miller Body fabrication | ||
| Kitty Rodden Aerodynamics | ||
| Jeff Silverstone Chief driver/ Mechanical systems | ||
| Gwan The Driver/Body fabrication | ||
| Robert Tsai Mechanical systems | ||
| Suchon Tsaowimonsiri Mechanical systems |
Solar Eagle III
- 1997: Solar Eagle III - GM Sunrayce USA: 1st place.
- Now on display at Cal State LA.
On Saturday, June 28, 1997, the Solar Eagle III won the prestigious Sunrayce 97, the national intercollegiate solar car race, crossing the Colorado Springs finish line under fittingly sunny skies. Setting a Sunrayce record for average speed of 43.29 mph, Cal State L.A. finished nearly 20 minutes ahead of second-place Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The combined team of Stanford University/UC Berkeley finished third. Texas A&M, whose team used the molds from Cal State L.A.'s Solar Eagle II to build their entry, the MACH V, finished fourth.
Solar Eagle III's first-place finish at Colorado Springs marked the end of ten days of exciting intercollegiate solar car racing. Throughout the competition, Cal State L.A., MIT and Stanford/ UC Berkeley jockeyed in the top three positions. In the end, good design and solid engineering won the race: the beautifully built Solar Eagle III never broke down during the entire 1,230 mile course,.
The Texas A&M MACH V was the only other car in the field that completed the entire event without an unscheduled stop. The Texas A&M car was built entirely by the students in just 1 year. It was no mistake that robust design was a significant contributor to a strong finish.
The Solar Eagle III's technical specifications, described below, give the blueprint for a national champion — a world-class, space-age solar vehicle, meticulously refined and built on the successes of its first two solar cars, Solar Eagle and Solar Eagle II.
Technical Specifications
- Weight: 427 pounds
- Length: 19.2 feet
- Width: 6.3 feet
- Height: 3.1 feet
- Rolling Chassis: carbon fiber monocoque structure
- Body and Solar Panel: carbon fiber skin with Nomex honeycomb core Solar Cells: 762 terrestrial grade silicon cells by Siemens wired in four parallel strings
- Panel Voltage: 85-volts peak string voltage
- Tire Rolling Resistance:.0045
- Drag Coefficient:.15
- Wheel Base: 104 inches
- Wheels and Tires: wheels have composite centers with aluminum rims; tires are Bridgestone Ecopia
- Brakes and Suspension: front brakes are mechanical hydraulic; regenerative rear brakes. Suspension is double A-arm in the front and swing arm in the rear
- Batteries: 108-volt system with nine 12-volt batteries by U.S. Battery Manufacturing Company; weight-307 lbs
- Motor System: two interchangeable motor systems: 1.) Wheel motor and controller DC Brushleiss motor and controller by Solectria Corporation with belt drive
- Cal State L.A.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University/UC Berkeley
- Texas A&M University
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology University of Michigan
- University of Waterloo, Canada
- University of Missouri-Columbia
- Yale University
- Queen's University, Canada
- University of Minnesota
- Messiah College
- The University- of Western Ontario, Canada
- University of Illinois
- University of Pennsylvania
- Western Michigan University
- University of Missouri-Rolla
- Ohio State University
- University of North Dakota
- Mankato and Winona State Universities
- New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology
- United States Military Academy
- McGill University, Canada
- Kansas State University
- Columbus State Community College
- Iowa State University
- California State University, Long Beach
- Drexel University
- Ecole de Technologie Superieure, Canada
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Principia College
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Auburn University
- Purdue University
- University of New Orleans
- George Washington University
| Student | Faculty | Staff |
| Rick Aguilera | Richard Roberto, Professor of Mechanical Engineering | Mike Obermeyer Chief Electrical Telemetry hardware/software design Power electronic assembly |
| Dane Atol | Stephen F. Felszeghy Professor of Mechanical Engineering | Dan Roberto Mechanical Engineering Technician |
| Ivan Bejar | Raymond Landis Dean of Engineering and Technology | Bruce Fischer Technical Support Manager |
| Roland Cerna | Kathy Lex School Fiscal Manager | |
| Salvador Fallorino | ||
| Kathleen Hansen | ||
| Stanley Palmer | ||
| Ricardo Solares | ||
| Roman Vasquez III | ||
| Mark Van Dalm | ||
| Dylan Wakasa |
Publications
The team has been featured in the following local, national, and international media:*
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Books
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