Students construct green-friendly vehicle

The time in the sun for Brasidius, MSU's own student-created solar car, is finally coming.

After years of work and some missteps, the MSU Solar Car Team is putting together the final touches on its car in preparation for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge.

Current president Arthur Matteson has been a member of the group since the fall of 2002, when a former adviser directed him toward the group.

According to Matteson, a graduate student, the team began when the university's provost gave the group an $80,000 grant.

It was during those initial days the car gained the name Brasidius, after a famous Spartan general. Matteson said it's held this name ever since.

Since the initial cash infusion, the group has sputtered along, with at least one major false start. In 2001, the team already had a frame built and paid the $1,000 entrance fee for the race, Matteson said.Unfortunately, the work was flawed and had to be scrapped.

"The first frame was crooked," he said.

Matteson came into the group in the wake of that major miscalculation and saw the group dwindle down. At one point, it was just him and one other person, he said.

But since then, the group rebounded to having about a dozen active members, said Dan West, the team's vice president.

The electrical engineering junior became involved with the group after roommates told him about it three years ago.

"I went to a meeting and never left," West said.After constructing a new frame and other components, the team's goal is to complete the car by March 1, a self-imposed deadline, Matteson said.

That artificial deadline has put added pressure on the team."

The greatest pressure is time management," Matteson said. "We have one and a half months before we have to make reports on the design."

The team plans to have the car fully finished in time for the July 13 start of the North American Solar Challenge, a race taking place on regular roads and highways from Dallas to Calgary, Canada, West said.

The team has spent a total of $40,000 so far in creating Brasidius, West said - a figure dwarfed by other teams."

It's an extraordinarily inexpensive car," he said. "To compare, U-M spent $1.5 million."

The team has around $20,000 left, which should be enough to finish the car, he said, although they're planning on putting together some fundraising events for the future.

The team's goal for this year's race isn't winning."We're looking to get to the finish line," West said. "Getting there is very, very hard."

The nine-day race is more about endurance than speed, West said. The completed car should be capable of a top speed around 90-100 mph, he said, although it's being designed to go 40-45 mph on average.

West added the value of this race is more about seeing how the car does and gathering data. He's optimistic the team can take that data, scrap Brasidius and start over, giving the team a chance to compete in the future.

Even with the race looming, the team isn't all about the race. It also gives students a chance to learn.

"I wanted to learn about how the car works and solar energy," said Ryan Blake, a mechanical engineering senior.

He joined the group last semester after seeing a flyer, one of the team's growing efforts to increase awareness of the group.

Matteson, who will be graduating soon, views the group's resurgence as the highlight of his tenure on the team.

"Finally people are regularly showing up. It's hard to get a team started," he said.

Even with the solid core of members the team currently has, the team would still like to see more people."The team's kind of small," Blake said. "There's not as many members as we should have."

Blake spends between eight and 10 hours a week working on the car, while West invests 15-20 hours a week.Spending all that time working, many team members have visions beyond the race. If he's given a chance, Blake has plans for the car.

"I want to drive it around the roundabout in Bogue circle," he said.