GERING — The American Solar Challenge, an international collegiate student design competition for solar-powered vehicles, rolled through Gering July 15 and 16 as part of a stage stop for the solar cars to charge up to get to the next checkpoint.
The 12 fully qualified teams arrived at the Scotts Bluff National Monument throughout the day on Sunday. The times they arrived determined their start time Monday morning. Twenty-one teams registered to compete in the challenge, but after vehicles passed scrutineering, nine vehicles were forced to drop out.
The Scotts Bluff National Monument acted as one of the stops on the race due to its location near the Oregon Trail. As 2018 is the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System, this year’s ASC route followed parts of the Oregon Trail while also following other national trails.
Dan Eberle, one of the officials with the American Solar Challenge, said the route changes “almost every two years.”
“We’ve been to lots of places with this event,” Eberle said.
Previous ASC routes have also included the monument, making this stop one that is slowly becoming regular for those competing in the challenge.
Monday morning’s start faced less-than-ideal conditions when overcast skies didn’t give the cars much of a chance to charge.
Alain Chuzel, an array testing inspector with ASC and the resident solar expert for the race, said the overcast on Monday was “dramatic.”
“Human eyes are terrible at sensing (cloud cover),” Chuzel said.
The cars all managed to have enough power — partially thanks to stored energy in the batteries — and headed out around 9 a.m., with WSU’s car leaving promptly at the top of the hour.
Using stored energy doesn’t mean running at top efficiency, though, as cars are forced to operate at a slower speed in an attempt to conserve energy.
The University of California-Berkeley team was one that was forced to slow down because of rain and fog on the route Sunday.
However, team member Ray Altenberg said their car was one of few who made it to the monument solely off of solar power.
Currently the middle of the pack, Altenberg said the car “has been doing well.”
“We are excited for the rest of the race,” he said.
Western Sydney University left Monday morning in first, with the University of Michigan team close behind.
A full list of regulations, teams competing and the schedule for the remainder of the race can be found at americansolarchallenge.org.
