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            Auburn University - University Relations
                         (334) 844-9999
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6/2/95              Mitch Emmons

AUBURN'S NEW SOLAR CAR TEAM READYING FOR 'SUNRAYCE 95' 

     AUBURN -- Auburn University's solar car racing team is completing 
work on a sleeker, lighter and more energy efficient body design for the 
"Sol of Auburn" solar car, which will compete in "Sunrayce 95."
     The solar-powered vehicle is being prepared for Sunrayce 95, 
which begins on June 20 in Indianapolis and ends June 29 at Golden, Colo. 
The 1,150-mile event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a 
biennial intercollegiate competition for solar-powered cars.
      Forty teams from throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico 
will have their design and racing skills tested in the grueling east-west 
race.
     "This is the largest undergraduate project ever undertaken at 
Auburn University," said Sushil Bhavnani, an associate professor in AU's 
Department of Mechanical Engineering and faculty advisor for the Sol of 
Auburn team. "For some of the 20 team members, it is a senior engineering 
project. However, some are involved for the sheer adventure."
     The car's new fiberglass body will appear flatter than those used 
in previous races.
     "The flatter design was chosen because this race runs from 
east-to-west," Bhavnani said. "The three other races Auburn competed in 
ran south-to-north. The body had to be reshaped because of the different 
orientation of the sun to the solar collectors in this year's competition."
     A body designed for more efficient solar collection is only one 
modification Sol of Auburn is undergoing.
     "The chassis has been raised and the rear wheels have been placed 
closer together," Bhavnani added. "We also are installing more efficient 
solar cells. These modifications -- we hope -- will give us greater 
speeds and a car weighing 25 percent less than those previously raced."
     Sunrayce 95 will be AU's fourth solar car competition since 1990.
     "We finished six out of 36 cars in qualifications for the 1993 
race," Bhavnani noted. "Bad weather during the actual race was just more 
than we could deal with. It was cloudy almost the entire time."
     Sol of Auburn fared better in its first two runs, finishing third 
out of seven competitors in 1991 and 15 out of 32 in 1990.
     It takes students  nearly a year to get ready for the race, says 
Bhavnani.  Race team members are from the departments of Industrial 
Design, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
     This 1995 vehicle is a modification using many of the components 
from previous racers. The project, however, still relies heavily on 
sponsor support, which includes Dow-United Technologies; Fluke 
Corporation; Engineered Fluid Inc.; SDRC Inc.; Rock Shox Inc.; DT Swiss 
Bicycle Technologies; Southside Bicycles; The Office of the President at 
AU; the AU Departments of Industrial Design, Electrical and Mechanical 
Engineering; and Viper Computer Systems Inc.
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june95:AU-solarcar
          CONTACT: Bhavnani, 334/844-3303 or bhavnani@eng.auburn.edu