America's #1 Solar Car Team Strategises with the EKO MS-80S

The University of Michigan Solar Team is America's premier squad, and one of the 6 teams EKO proudly sponsors through the EMPOWER programme, for good reason.

To stay at the top, the team is constantly pushing themselves and the limits of what's achievable for university engineers, paving the way for the next generation, and the EV industry as a whole. 

Last Summer, they devised and completed their very own challenge, the 'Michigan Sun Run', a 3,000-mile-long endurance run across the United States. It's rare and impressive to see a university team take on such a daunting objective on top of the grueling solar races and challenges around the world, but that's just what puts UM Solar at the caliber they're at. 

During the 'Michigan Sun Run', the team utilized EKO’s MS-80S Pyranometer to monitor solar irradiance, humidity, temperature, and gyroscopic data, allowing the strategists to make more accurate predictions in order to minimize race time and improve their models.

Rachel Meng, the team's head strategist wrote a brilliant case study breaking down how the live irradiance data from the MS-80S on the team's chase vehicle helped them assess the design of their Aevum race car.

The full case study is available to download below:

After facing delays since the previous Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in 2019, the renowned race is finally back on track for October 2023, and UM Solar has its sights set on 1st place. 

For more on UM Solar Team, check out their team profile on our EMPOWER page, or visit their website.