The 1,300-mile Sunrayce ’99 began June 20 in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to be completed June 29 at Epcot in Orlando, Fla. U-M students will be competing with 39 other solar car teams.
The hand-built, $1.5 million racer runs on less power than a microwave oven, and the Web site also offers detailed background on how the car came together, how it works and who built it.
The cars race a set distance each day, in stages like the Tour de France bicycle race. Overall standings are determined by each car’s elapsed time.
U-M cars won the first two runnings of the bi-annual Sunrayce, and this year’s team hopes for a three-peat. Maize Blaze has won sponsorship support and equipment from dozens of companies, including Ford, IBM, MDSI and numerous auto suppliers.