Tue Feb 09 2010
TOPY, a local wheel manufacturer, is helping the University of Kentucky Solar Car Team design 16-inch aluminum wheels for their fourth racecar.
The company also made an undisclosed financial contribution.
Tom Trzaskus, headquarters director for TOPY, said a number of the company’s engineers and managers are UK graduates, and that inspired them to get involved.
TOPY engineer Grant Baker graduated from UK in 2004 and knows some of the solar power team members. He’s helping the students determine the strength and durability of the wheels.
Team Manager Sam Nicaise, a senior studying electrical engineering, said TOPY’s support has been important in making the new wheels safe and efficient. His team lacked the knowledge and expertise to design them, he said.
“We get support from companies around the world, but it’s great to have a local company that steps up and provides the assistance that they have,” Nicaise said.
The team’s current solar-powered car includes 168 lithium-polymer batteries, an electric motor, an array of solar panels and a digital data system.
They named it Gato del Sol III, which is Spanish for “Cat of the Sun.” It’s named for the 1982 Derby winner, which was owned by Arthur Hancock’s Stone Farm in Bourbon County.
The team hopes to complete Gato del Sol IV by May 2010.
With a top speed of 55 mph, the current model has competed twice against other solar powered cars. It placed 11th by completing a 2,800-mile cross-country race from Texas to Canada in 110 hours. The team placed 2nd by completing a 600-mile race in Texas in 30 hours.
The first two models failed to qualify.
Nicaise said Gato del Sol IV will be more efficient and more powerful than their current model. The top speed will increase from 55 mph to more than 70 mph, he said.
The team also plans to reduce drag and cut the weight by about 50 pounds, he said. The budget for the fourth car is $230,000.
The ultimate goal is to compete at the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia. Nicaise said there are only about 45 teams from Europe, Asia and the Middle East will compete.
Trzaskus said he hopes the partnership will continue in the future.
“It’s a good blending of skills and talents,” he said. “It’s also a way to show our interest in the future environmental challenges that face our company as well as every other company.”
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