May 2020 Updates
CONQUERING THE ROAD ONE SOLAR CELL AT A TIME.
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny”
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Due to the unfortunate declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team decided it would be best to terminate all campus operations to ensure the health and safety of our members and the community. Due to this decision, the manufacturing of our previous vehicle has come to a stand still as of now, but we will continue as soon as Western deems it safe.
For the time being, the team’s focus has shifted toward designing our next vehicle. All work is being done remotely, but we have made it a priority to have meetings every week to keep in touch and ensure as much progress is being made as possible during this uncertain time.
Keep an eye out for our new and improved website being released later this month for further updates, news, and blog posts!
NEW CAR UPDATES
The design of Sunstang 2022 has begun! We have taken this time to upgrade our technical skills and thoughtfully approach the design of the new car. The structures team has spent a considerable amount of time learning ANSYS Fluent CFD software and is beginning to learn modelling in CATIA to provide the team with enhanced aerodynamic analysis. Using these tools for improved surface modelling and aerodynamic understanding will enhance feedback throughout the design process.
As for the design of the new car, the structures team has been gathering input from other Sunstang members about the requirements for Sunstang 2022. We have distilled this information to produce two concepts. We are currently working on developing and validating these ideas using our new software capabilities. One concept is a 4-seater Catamaran style vehicle, while the other is a 5-seater modified Catamaran. These concepts are currently in the modelling phase and will be tested for their aerodynamic performance. These results will then be used in strategy evaluation to determine which design will provide better performance at events.
More to come in the following months as we push our boundaries and continue to produce innovative ideas, revolutionizing Sunstang 2022!
WELCOMING THE 2020-2021 LEADS
We are happy to welcome the following individuals to the Sunstang leadership team:
PROJECT MANAGER: Steven Lawrence (4th year – Mechatronics)
OPERATIONS MANAGER: Tashmia Anwar (4th year – Electrical)
LOW-POWER: Kristina Wilson (3rd year – Electrical)
HIGH-POWER: Muhammad Ali (4th year – Electrical)
STRUCTURES: Isaac Clapp (4th year – Mechanical)
DYNAMICS: Taylor Lamb (3rd year – Mechanical)
SOFTWARE: Kiro Bondarev (1nd year – Undeclared)
MARKETING/MEDIA: Daniela Manotas (3rd year – Mechanical)
INTERNAL AFFAIRS: Stephanie Marinacci (3rd year – Ivey HBA)
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS: Fisal Faroukh (2nd year – Civil)
Over the past month they have been adjusting to their new positions by working with the managers and previous leadership team. To ensure proper communication among the leadership team, a retreat was organized and held. Everyone has made great progress in their roles thus far and we have no doubt that they will achieve great things this year!
A THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
A huge thank you to all our sponsors for their continued support and mentorship throughout this project. Sponsoring components of our car or competition expenses helps get Sunstang one step closer to achieving our goals. As you may know, we plan on becoming a flagship team at World Solar Challenge 2021 in Australia and are thrilled to have you all join Sunstang as we move to the next level among the solar car teams!