BT Solar Knights
Bergen Tech
Solar Knights
The Solar Car Challenge is a project-based STEM initiative to motivate students and their communities to learn about cutting edge technology in science, engineering, and alternative energy. Competing teams must build a street-legal car from the ground up that is powered entirely by solar energy. Students will then travel with the car to the Texas Motor Speedway where they will race it against schools from across the country.
​
Learn more at solarcarchallenge.org.
​
To LEarn
The Bergen Tech Solar Knights seek to to learn more about the engineering process and about the numerous other skills that are necessary to build a successful vehicle. This includes the electronics of solar panels and motors and the structural engineering aspect regarding the chassis and body frame.
To Teach
After completing the challenge, it is a team priority to share our experience and newfound knowledge on a wide scale. The team will use their experience to educate others about the importance of environmental sustainability and explain the engineering process of constructing the car.
To WIn
Ultimately, the Solar Knights hope to construct an efficient vehicle for the Solar Car Challenge. Though this will require extensive time and effort, the team is ready to step up to the challenge and is already on the path to success. Creative engineering combined with community support will greatly further this project and bring the team to success.
The Car
The car starts from a chassis built from mild-steel, chosen for its strength, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness.
The body is then made from a cloth mold to protect the chassis and help with aerodynamics, created with safety as its primary concern. The car will also feature top of the line electrical equipment for power, including efficient solar cells, batteries, and motors, all built to harness the power of the sun.
