EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – While the ‘North American International Auto Show’ rolled into the state, the MSU Solar Racing Team got the chance to show off their innovations to attendees.
The group consists of around 100 students who design, test, build, and race an all-new single-occupant vehicle with completion by the end of the semester.
The vehicle itself is solar-electric, meaning it will get and harness its power from the sun.
Students are currently manufacturing the car and building test modules, battery packs, and solar panels to get the vehicle ready for its competition next year.
But before that, the team is looking to test the vehicle and plans to drive 1,000-2,000 miles with it before it competes.
Team President Prerana Gunda said not only are they learning throughout the build, but it’s also teaching them how to be eco-friendly.
“We really push towards sustainability with the car,” Gunda said. “It’s a solar-electric vehicle so it’s something new and through this, we really push for experiences beyond the classroom. So, here, the things that students work on they get to see the design process of the entire car from the designing, testing, building, all the way to racing. So, seeing the final product, that’s something you don’t really get in a classroom school setting.”
The group is planning to test the car on the road all of next semester and then compete in June and July of next summer.
