Earn the Victory, Move the World: Altair's Role in the University of Michigan Solar Car Team

Presentation by Nathan Johnson, Kelly Park, and Mingyao Tao with the University of Michigan Solar Team as part of Altair's Future.Industry 2025 conference.

The University of Michigan Solar Car Team is a student-run organization dedicated to designing, building, and racing solar electric vehicles. Our team, led by passionate individuals, collaborates with generous sponsors who support our mission. By harnessing solar power, we aim to promote environmentally friendly transportation. We compete in prestigious events like the World Solar Challenge and the American Solar Challenge, facing challenges related to time, distance, and tough competition. Since our inception in 1989, we have built 17 cars, achieving notable finishes, including second place with our car Novum and multiple third-place finishes. Although we have yet to win the WSC, we have triumphed in the ASC ten times. Our partnership with Altair provides us with cutting-edge tools to create lightweight, safe vehicles through material optimization and composite analysis. Altair’s HyperWorks enables us to assess harsh load cases, ensuring our car's durability against impacts and rollovers, showcasing our commitment to innovation and excellence in solar vehicle design.