Poly’s Solar Car Team Set to Finish ‘Scrutineering’ Safety Check, Solar Car Challenge Race Starts Sunday

Polytechnic School’s Engineering Club students are in Texas on Saturday, as the all-electric car designed and built entirely by the students undergoes safety checks before the 30th Annual Solar Car Challenge race starts Sunday.

The Poly team left for Texas on July 11 to compete in the Solar Car Challenge hosted by Oncor and Lockheed Martin. 

Polytechnic’s team will be among nearly two dozen high school teams from across the country competing in this eight-day challenge. The race stretches from Fort Worth, Texas, to Palmdale, California, and features roadworthy, solar-powered vehicles engineered by the students.

As of Thursday, the team reported minor problems were encountered during the scrutineering or safety check phase. 

“As we predicted … we encountered some bumps. Nothing we can’t fix! “ team members posted on the team’s blog on Thursday, July 11.

“We plan to return to the Texas Motor Speedway tomorrow morning and get our electrical systems up to standards before our assigned time for station 6 (endurance), and finally station 7 (road safety). We are on track to potentially finish scrutineering a full day early, so we have a huge cushion for anything that can and will go wrong,” the blog post continued.

The Poly Solar Car Team was the only team in the entire competition to fully complete four stations on the first day’s round of safety checks.

Polytechnic’s hometown team has named their car “The Sun Fortress.” It is a four-horsepower, 293-kilogram vehicle equipped with four solar panels capable of reaching top speeds just over 28 mph.

The Solar Car Challenge was initially conceived in 1993 by former educator Dr. Lehman Marks. He aimed to inspire students to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, as well as alternative energy solutions.

Over the past three decades, the challenge has directly benefited more than 65,000 students, with an estimated 200,000 spectators expected to witness the students’ creations during the race.

The challenge not only teaches students about harnessing solar energy but also imparts skills in planning, budgeting, fundraising, engineering, and project management.

The Solar Car Challenge was established in 1993 to help motivate students in science and engineering, and to increase alternative energy awareness. The Challenge teaches high school students around the world how to build roadworthy solar cars.