Vehicles
Beam Machine
The Beam Machine placed third in class in the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2005. It went on to place second in class in the North American Solar Challenge 2005.
Based off of the same shell design as the Solar Bear, the Beam Machine featured a narrower profile, an aluminum chassis and double A-arm suspension. It also featured an innovative battery protection system and earned the Best Stock Array award.
Solar Bear
The Solar Bear is CalSol's first vehicle designed and built after the split of team Stanley. It was raced in the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2003 after CalSol's four year hiatus from solar racing and finished in first in stock class. The rookie team then went on to race in the American Solar Challenge 2003 and finished the 2300 mile cross country journey in second place in stock class.
The Solar Bear features all new design sharing little in common with team Stanley's previous vehicles. Based on a chromoly steel tube chassis, the Solar Bear is a rugged, sturdy vehicle designed to stand the arduous journey westward from Chicago to Los Angeles.
See our Photos section for more cool pictures.
Third Degree Burner
The Third Degree Burner is based on the shell of our previous vehicle, the Afterburner II. The chassis, suspension, drive train, electrical systems, and telemetry have all been completely rebuilt to accomidate the new SunRayce rule requiring 4 wheels (the Afterburner II has 3 wheels). The only components remaining from the Afterburner II are the front fairings (aerodynamic wheel guards) and the top portion of the shell.
While much has been rebuilt, the design (with the exception of the 4th wheel) looks extremely similar to the Afterburner II's. The chassis is a carbon-honeycomb box structure. The suspension combines Risse Racing Technology shocks with custom-designed aluminum members. The aerodynamic shell is molded from kevlar and epoxy, in order to be light and rigid while providing a safe, energy-absorbent structure around the driver. The solar cells are made by ASE America and are 14.5 % efficient. They are split up into modules of 4x7 cells on average, each module being entirely sealed inside a rigid resin and glass matrix.
The electrical system combines New Generation Motor Corp's hub motor with GB Battery's Nickel-Metal-Hydride cells, along with the solar array and some accessories (turn signals, horn, telemetry, etc.). The entire combination is extremely efficient, enabling the car to drive 45 mi/hr on the power of a single hair dryer.
The Third Degree Burner's only major event was SunRayce '99, a 1400 mile race. The team put significant amounts of work into the car to tune its performance for the race. The car is now in storage at the SSCP site.
Afterburner II
The Afterburner II is the Third Degree Burner's immediate predecessor. It has upwards of 8,000 miles on it. Over the summer of '97, it raced in Sunrayce '97 where it took third place, a mere hour behind the leader.
Afterburner II also competed in the FIA electro-solar cup in Suzuka, Japan. It is a three wheel design, with two front wheels and one rear wheel. An 8-hp Solectria motor gives the vehicle zippy acceleration while providing good efficiency (~90% at cruising speeds of around 50 mph). The vehicle has reportedly reached 74 mph during testing but fortunately we don't have confirmation of that number from a highway patrolman.
California Dreamin'
CALSOL's first solar vehicle, California Dreamin', was built by team members between the summers of 1990 and 1993.
This vehicle first competed in Sunrayce '93, an intercollegiate race of student built solar powered vehicles that stretched more than a thousand miles between Arlington, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota. It then ran in the 1994 Disneyland World Clean Air Road Rally, a three-day race of alternative-fueled vehicles that extended 90 miles across Southern California.
In August, 1995 California Dreamin' competed in the 1995 Suzuka Solar Car Race in Japan.