University of Calgary Solar Car team on Schulich Helios and the Silent Auction
By Dianne Miranda, March 27 2023—
The University of Calgary Solar Car team is an experienced solar racing team that was established in 2004. They are a team of students from various faculties and departments such as engineering and business that work to both educate the community on renewable energy and to develop sustainable energy solutions.
The solar car team is unique in that it is multidisciplinary and has around 70-80 members that are actively engaged with the project.
“We engage with people all over campus and through the different skills, personalities and people that we have within the team, it’s taking all those together and being able to build a really big project out of it,” said team captain Maxwell Shedd.
The team is working on their fifth car, Schulich Helios, and is part of the multi-occupant category for the competitions that they participate in where part of their scores come from how many people can fit in the car.
“The big improvement for Schulich Helios that we are trying to strive for is being able to fit four people inside the car — Schulich Helios will have more torque in the motors so that we are able to handle the load of four passengers while also driving in more everyday scenarios– the main thing for us is trying to make Schulich Helios more of a modern or everyday car,” said Shedd.
The team previously placed first in the Formula Sun Grand Prix, FSGP, in 2019 in Texas, and won third place in the cruiser class more recently in Topeka, Kansas in the FSGP 2022. The team is aiming for the completion of Schulich Helios by 2024 in time to compete again.
“It’s really getting the ball rolling with the manufacturing this year to get the car built and hopefully have it in the state to test it and practice with it so that we can compete next year,” said Shedd.
The Solar Car team is hosting a silent auction on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 6 p.m until 9:30 p.m. at the Red & White Club to primarily raise funds for the new car.
“People can expect a fun and exciting experience with delicious food, the opportunity to connect with [the] team members and sponsors and learn more about the process of building [the team’s] most ambitious project so far,” said Renata Santander, communications manager who oversees all aspects of the team’s communication strategy and the events planning and execution processes.
“This year’s auction is also a celebration of the hard work and accomplishments our team has made this past year,” she said. “We want people to have a good time while supporting a good cause and becoming inspired by the work we do.”
Santander hopes that attendees will leave the auction with a deeper understanding of the importance of sustainable energy and how it will shape the future.
“Ultimately, we want to create a sense of community around our project and sustainable energy in general, and hope that the auction will be enjoyable and inspiring for all who attend.”
Tickets for the silent auction are CA$34.99 and can be purchased here. To learn more and for more updates about the University of Calgary Solar Car team, visit their website or Instagram page.