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May 11, 2006
Purdue solar car to tour Indiana, tout alternative energyWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Members of the Purdue University Solar Racing Team will take their solar powered car on a "Tour of Indiana" starting Monday (May 15) and concluding on May 21 at the Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day at Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
This year, the Solar Powered Overland Transportation vehicle, or S.P.O.T. II, is the only solar car designed and built by a university or college in Indiana. Nine members of the team will take the car to Winamac, Valparaiso, Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Muncie, Richmond, Columbus, Bloomington, Terre Haute, Greenwood and Indianapolis. The students and the car will cover more than 850 miles of Hoosier Heartland. "The car measures 6 feet by 16 feet, weighs 435 pounds and has a top speed of 65 mph. It is street legal, complete with a vehicle identification number, a Purdue license plate and insurance," said Heather Cooper, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology and team adviser. "While on the tour, the students will form a convoy of vehicles, with one in front and one behind the solar car to give it some protection." Developing the car was a multidisciplinary project that included students from several engineering schools in Purdue's College of Engineering and the College of Technology. "The design started in the virtual world — our engineers used the latest computer tools to model the electrical, mechanical and aerodynamic systems before they were ever built," said Matt Romanotto, a senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Fort Wayne. "We hope the tour will show that engineering solutions can solve today's pressing problems as well as inspire Hoosiers, young and old, to consider the endless possibilities of new technology." It took the students about three years to design and build the car. "With design work and materials, the solar car cost up to $100,000, and the students worked hard with the corporate sponsors to fund the project," said Galen King, associate professor of mechanical engineering and an adviser to the team. "We have about 35 companies and organizations that have sponsored the solar car, and part of our tour of Indiana is to visit some of our sponsors." The tour locations, dates and times (EDT) are: • May 15 – Winamac – 9 a.m., GalFab Corp. (sponsor), 612 West 11th St. Winamac – 10 a.m., Winamac High School Winamac – 11 a.m., R&S Welding and Fabricating Inc. (sponsor), 961 West 25 South Valparaiso – 1:45 pm., Thomas Jefferson Middle School • May 16 – Valparaiso – 7:30 a.m., Valparaiso High School Valparaiso – 10 a.m., Ben Franklin Middle School Elkhart – 3:30 p.m., ProDesign Performance (sponsor), 23925 Reedy Drive Fort Wayne – 7 p.m., Tippmann Group (sponsor), 9009 Coldwater Road • May 17 – Fort Wayne – 7:30 a.m. Fort Wayne Snider High School Richmond, 3:30 p.m. Belden CDT Electronics Division (sponsor), 2200 U.S. Highway 27 South • May 18 – Columbus – 10 a.m. Cummins Inc. (sponsor), 1460 National Road. • May 19 – Greenwood – 7:30 a.m., Center Grove High School • May 21 – Indianapolis – 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monument Circle, Chase 500 Festival Kids' Day Started in 1993, the Purdue Solar Racing Team is a student organization open to students, regardless of field of study. More information about the Purdue solar car is available online.
Writers: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu, Kiersti Kjonaas Sources: Heather Cooper, (765) 494-9653, hcooper@purdue.edu Galen King, (765) 494-6518, kinggb@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Note to Journalists: Journalists can contact the student team leaders while they are on the road at the following cell numbers: Matt Hewlett at (765) 543-9491 and David Helderman at (317) 979-2416. In addition to the solar car stops listed in this news release, the team plans to make stops at Indiana University in Bloomington, University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ball State University in Muncie and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute. Please call Hewlett or Helderman for exact times and locations. Broadcast-quality B-roll of Purdue students driving and working on the car can be obtained by contacting Jesica Webb (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu.
PHOTO CAPTION Purdue University's Solar Racing Team prepares to take the Purdue solar car on a tour of Indiana from May 15-21. The car and the team will make stops in Winamac, Valparaiso, Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Muncie, Richmond, Greenwood, Indianapolis, South Bend, Muncie, Bloomington and Terre Haute. From left are Matt Hewlett, a senior in mechanical engineering technology from Valparaiso; Matt Romanotto (under the canopy of the car), a senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Fort Wayne; and Warren Santner, a senior in electrical and computer engineering from Munster. The completely solar-powered car measures 6 feet by 16 feet, weighs 435 pounds and can reach a top speed of 65 mph. (Purdue News Service photograph/David Umberger) A publication-quality photograph is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/uns/images/+2006/solarcar-spot2.jpg
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