This past semester has been extremely hectic for the team. Earlier in the fall, the majority of the team's efforts were put towards car showings and recruiting efforts for the team and university. Many days were spent on the road during September and October, going to different places between St. Louis and Quapaw, OK. The main event in St. Louis was the St. Louis Green Homes Festival, where Solar Miner VII became the main attraction. Festival goers stopped by the SDELC's tent to check out, and even jump into, SMVII. The highlight of the day occurred when Justin Reynolds drove SMVII down to the miniature solar car races. The last major event was in Quapaw, OK at the unveiling of Umicore's new germanium wafer plant. At this event, team members showed off SMVII to the leaders of the local community and high-ranking representatives from other photovoltaic and battery manufacturers.
After the car showing season came to a close, the team began to focus on the next competition. This May, SMVII will be competing again in the 2011 Formula Sun Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For FSGP, SMVII will receive many modifications and improvements. Many of these will be completed and ready for fabrication in the next month. While all of this is going on, the electronics for our next car have been almost entirely completed and the design of the body and chassis are progressing nicely. Check back in the next few weeks to find out how SMVII will transform, and an update on our next car.
