CAR

Our solar car is nearing completion.  As seen in the figures below, the entire chassis is assembled, and the solar panel has been integrated into the body as well.
Using our models, we determined that the optimal gear ratio would be about 5 or 6, but due to the inhibiting size of our wheels, we were forced to go with a gear ratio of about 4.  Otherwise, the axle gear itself would be rolling on the ground instead of the wheels.
Our solar panel will be attached to the top of the body using Velcro.  Since the Velcro is so strong, we decided to place only a few small squares of it on the bottom of the panel to prevent it from potentially destroying the chassis when removing the panel.
The "compartment" that will hold the soda can is simply the two small beams of wood that connect the back wheel to the rest of the chassis.  Essentially, these connectors have two jobs: stabilizing the car and containing the payload.  A small panel in front of the back wheel will also secure the can in position.
The only components left to finish are the side panels and the motor.  The power leads will most likely be soldered directly to the solar panel which will then be attached to and detached from the motor using alligator clips.  We are holding off on fully attaching the motor to the entire car until the competition comes closer.  We want to determine more accurately what the weather will be like so we can better choose which of our two motors we want to use.  The basic components of our vehicle were weighed to help us decide as well.  The small motor, as seen below, weighs less than the big motor, but the big motor seems to be more powerful.  However, the small motor is more sensitive to sunlight meaning that it will work even if it is not a very sunny day.



Car: 39.7 g

Panel: 91.5 g

Small Motor: 31.7 g

Big Motor: 39.7 g

Figure 1: Solar car without solar panel, top view.  [1]

Figure 2: Solar car without solar panel, posterior view.  [2]

Figure 3: Solar car without solar panel, lateral view.  [3]



Figure 4: Solar car without solar panel, front view.  [4]



Figure 5: Solar car without solar panel, orthogonal view.  [5]

Figure 6: Solar car with solar panel, front view.  [6]

Figure 7: Solar car with solar panel, orthogonal-left view.  [7]

Figure 8: Solar car with solar panel, orthogonal-right view.  [8]