The SUNy HAWK Solar Car of the SUNY New Paltz Engineering Department
06/10/2009
If you would like to study engineering in a department that has:
- A solar car on which you will be able to apply your engineering skills and contribute with improvements through your Senior Design Project
- A solar car club where you can enjoy social life with other solar car “geeks”
- A solar car race that you can attend and enjoy, and in which you can proudly see that SUNY New Paltz is highly competitive among very prestigious universities
Look no further! Our car is as real as your dreams can become at SUNY New Paltz! Take a look at the New Paltz solar car website
http://www.newpaltz.edu/solarcar/
and check how our car did in its very first race!
Also, if you want to see engineering student Christopher St. John driving like a maniac and passing the University of Minnesota car, please click on the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljCl9R-sDYQ
SUNY New Paltz Engineering is testing two Mini-E Cooper Electric Cars
Thomas LaBarr (instructional support assistant) and Michael Otis (instructor), from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, are the designated drivers to test two Mini-E Cooper electric cars for the term of one year.
Tom LaBarr says: “To the best of my knowledge, we are the only University who has been given this opportunity. We are highly qualified for testing these cars because of the ‘green’ projects taking place in the department: our solar car competing in Texas and two of our student building an electric car for their Senior Design Project.”
Testing of the Mini-E Coopers includes recording data such as rates of battery charge and discharge, as affected by external conditions such as temperature and humidity. These pioneer vehicles, which feature energy regeneration when braking or moving downhill, are not only ‘green’, but also extremely enjoyable to drive. On his experience so far, Tom says: “I have had no problems, except for trying to get the grin off my face when I'm not driving it.”
