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3. Entries

3.1 Selection of Entries​

Entries for the event are selected through a proposal system consisting of the evaluation of the application submitted by teams desiring to participate. The sponsor may select up to forty proposals total to participate in the event. The sponsor reserves the right to reject any proposal.

3.2 Teams and Drivers​

Any number of people may act as the team, however, during the event, it is suggested that a manageable core team of approximately twelve members be designated as “the team.” Each solar car driver must have a valid driver’s license that allows them to drive unaccompanied during race hours. It is recommended that teams have at least 2 drivers on the team.

3.3 Team Provisions​

The event will provide each team with identification tags for up to 12 team members and 2 chaperones per team. Larger teams must make arrangements with the sponsor prior to arriving at the event. A special water facility will be provided to the teams at the event start, required stops, impound, and qualifiers. All other water requirements must be supplied by the teams.

3.4 Makeup of Teams​

Teams, including drivers, will consist of high school students in grades 9-12. Twelfth grade includes the summer following the student’s last year in high school. Team members must be from the same school district.

3.5 Qualifiers​

Each team must successfully participate in a qualifier before they will be allowed to compete in the main event. Qualifiers will be held preceding the event. The qualifier will hereinafter be referred to as “scrutineering” and Stage One. Teams can be pre-qualified to take part in the event by arranging for the Event Director, or one of his staff, to visit the team to determine if their solar car complies with the essential elements required to pass the scrutineering process. Teams will still have to proceed through the regular scrutineering process, but they are assured that their mechanical and electrical configurations comply with the basic event directives. Travel arrangements must be provided by the requesting team.

3.6 Reports and Data Sheets​

Each team must submit reports and data sheets as follows:

Intent-to-Race Form​

filed from September 1st through January 31st notifying Event Officials of your team’s plan to participate in the Solar Car Challenge, and places your team on a mailing list to receive all event information. A Final Report will not be accepted for any team unless an Intent-to-Race form was submitted within the filing window.

Final Report​

filed by March 1st of the year in which the team intends to participate.This report must include:

  1. Official Registration Document
  2. Official Team Registration Fee [See Section 8.3]
  3. Final mechanical and drawings and electrical schematics (see below for details)
  4. Specifications including weight, dimensions, motor type, solar cell type, solar array power output, battery type and capacity, braking systems, wheel type, and data sheets as set out below. All crew members, designated drivers, and faculty advisors must also be listed.

The information from the data sheets will provide the basis for selection of event participants, and will appear in the Official Challenge Booklet. Teams will submit a digital and hard copy of the Final Report. The digital copy, including all documents below, must be in an Adobe PDF (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) format.

Six documents must accompany the Final Report​

  1. Mechanical Drawings: Complete, detailed drawing(s) showing the mechanical structure of the vehicle. This should be drawn with a drafting program such as Solid Edge for clarity and is not limited to one page. The drawing(s) must include crush zones, frame structure, location of major components (motor, controller, battery, array), a notional driver in normal driving position, and overall dimensions in three views (front, side, top). Dimensions must be labeled on each drawing. The safety cell (Section 5.2.1) and crush zones (Section 5.2.3) must be explicitly labeled in the drawings and must include horizontal and vertical dimensions. Dimensions should also be shown for the height of the roll bar (Section 5.2.2) and between the driver’s head and the bottom of the roll bar. Drawings that fail to show adequate safety cell, roll bar, and crush zones will be result in disqualification for the team.
  2. Electrical Schematics: A complete, detailed schematic and wiring diagram showing the electrical layout of the vehicle. This schematic must include but does not need to be limited to all the wiring for the propulsion, solar, instrument, and battery systems.
  3. A team photo in digital format of at least 1500x2100 pixels and in color. This photo shall be emailed to marks@solarcarchallenge.org as a separate file from the report, and is due June 1st.
  4. Manufacturer’s data sheets for the propulsion system batteries, including, but not limited to voltage per battery, capacity per battery, weight of each battery, and its chemistry type (lead-acid, or otherwise). If batteries are not lead-acid, include manufacturer’s data sheets for an appropriate battery management system.
  5. Manufacturer’s data sheets for the solar cells you intend to use, including, but not limited to the size of each solar cell, the efficiency rating, the number of watts per cell, and the list price of each solar cell.
  6. Manufacturer’s data sheets for the motor, controller, main fuse, disconnect switches, wheels, suspension, steering, and brakes you intend to use.

3.7 Changing Reports and Data Sheets​

Teams will not be allowed to amend their Final Report once submitted without prior written approval by the Event Director.

3.8 Vehicle Design and Construction​

It is the intent of the event that the solar cars be designed and constructed by high school students on the solar car team. The major components of the vehicle (frame, body, solar array, battery compartment, motor mount, drive system, electrical system, suspension, running gear, and lighting system) must be designed and constructed completely by the students. Off-the-shelf components (e.g., wheel hubs, brake calipers, power trackers, motors, motor controllers, suspension/steering components, wheels, etc.) may be used as long as the selection of these components was made exclusively by the students. No portion of another vehicle’s frame may be reused in a solar car unless the team re-engineers/modifies the frame to fit the team’s solar car design or to install separate off-the-shelf components. Teams can receive contributions of off-the-shelf components from other solar teams. Teams can use body molds prepared by college or high school teams, but the actual vehicle body must be constructed by the students. The students may seek the advice of engineers or other design consultants. Parts may be fabricated by specialty shops (for welding, machining, etc.) as long as the students specify what the specialty shop is to do, through drawings or specification sheets prepared by the students. However, it is the spirit of the event to learn how to build a solar car, and it is recommended that students perform whatever tasks they can to construct the solar car on their own. The drawings and specification sheets must be made available during scrutineering as proof of student design. During Scrutineering, judges will strenuously question the students to determine compliance with this rule. Specific questions that will be asked during Scrutineering are set out in the Scrutineering Check Sheets found in the “Registration/Scrutineering” section on the web site.

3.9 Scrapbook​

As evidence that solar cars are designed and constructed by high school students, teams must maintain a scrapbook showing students working on all phases of the solar car project, including planning, design, CAD, fundraising, building, and testing the solar car. Teams shall submit a digital copy of the scrapbook no later than June 1st. Teams shall also submit a hard copy of the scrapbook at the time of Oral Presentations. Scrapbooks will become the property of the Solar Car Challenge upon submittal.

3.10 Oral Presentation​

Teams shall prepare an oral presentation describing their solar car project. The team will have up to 8 minutes to give a full statement about the team’s project. Teams will be graded based on whether the presentation gave a full statement about the team’s project and engineering decisions made, whether all team members participated, whether the presentation was well prepared and rehearsed, whether the team was able to speak without the use of notes, whether the team used visual aids, and whether the team’s scrapbook adequately showcases the team’s progress and development of the vehicle. Judges will question the team on their engineering decisions. Teams will be awarded up to 20 miles for the quality of their presentation and answers to judge questions upon qualification into the event. Penalties received during the event cannot affect awarded miles from the Oral Presentation.