Welcome to Team PrISUm

Team PrISUm is a multidisciplinary, student-run organization at Iowa State University (ISU) which designs, builds, and races solar powered electric vehicles across the United States every few years in the American Solar Challenge. Outreach and education are also important aspects of our project as we work to raise awareness about solar energy and efficient transportation. Don't hesitate to email us if you would like to have our solar car at an event.

This project would not be possible without our current and past sponsors. We encourage you to take a look at our sponsorship page and download a copy of the corporate sponsorship packet or an adopt-a-cell form to find out how you can help us pave the way towards a future in renewable energy!

Team PrISUm is getting ready to race!

The Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 track in Austin, TX. will be this year's venue. The track is 3.4 miles long, with a back straight of over 1/2 mile. This year's race could be the fastest, most exciting ever!

News Articles

Team PrISUm Overcomes Difficulties in ASC 2010 to Finish Strong - June 28, 2010

Over the past two and a half weeks, Team PrISUm competed in the 2010 American Solar Challenge. When the race crew left Ames, it's 10th generation solar car, named Anthelion, wasn't completed. The team worked around the clock to finish wiring the electrical system during the first days of Scrutineering. After the car eventually passed all the required Scrutineering inspections, it was ready for qualifying. Four drivers were qualified after they each drove at least 25 laps around the 1.7 mile track at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX. In a two day period, Anthelion finished over 150 laps and qualified for the cross country American Solar Challenge.

Only 13 teams of the 17 that originally registered for the event were able to qualify. These teams all left the starting line at the Bass Pro Shop in Broken Arrow, OK on the race route to Chicago. Misfortune struck during the first four days of the race as PrISUm tackled major electrical and overheating problems. During this time, many of the electronics boards on the car were fried at least once. Luckily there were spares for most of the components but when they began running thin, team members had to come up with creative solutions to keep the car on the road.

Finally the race crew succeed in getting the car to run reliably and Anthelion performed admirably for the second half of the race. Mechanically, the car was great from the beginning. Compared to our last car it is lighter, has better aerodynamics, and offers superior handling. Once the electrical issues were ironed out, it was also very fast. We were able to drive 40 to 60 miles per hour for much of the time. Unfortunately, Anthelion's strong finish was unable to offset the time lost due to reliability issues at the start of the race, which left Team PrISUm in 11th place overall. For a far more detailed account of the race, check out the official race blog.

Team members are quite satisfied with Anthelion's ultimate performance and only wish they'd been able to finish the car a few weeks earlier in time for testing that could have identified and corrected the electrical problems before beginning the competition. Nevertheless, the team has learned many valuable lessons that will help guide the next project. Starting in the Fall, Team PrISUm will begin working on their next generation car for the 2012 American Solar Challenge as well as making improvements to Anthelion, which will compete again in a track race next summer.

We would like to take a moment to thank the hundreds of individuals and organizations who made Anthelion possible. It is only through your persistent support that we are able to design, build, and race the cars of the next generation. You're encouragement has helped us make it through tough times, but in the end our perseverance and hard work has paid off in a big way when Anthelion crossed the finish line in Naperville, IL. Let us now celebrate together...

Anthelion Painted - June 4, 2010

Anthelion was picked up today from Carstens Auto Body & Customs in Webster City, IA with a fresh coat of shiny paint that matches Iowa State's official colors! In light of our time crunch, the kind folks at Carstens dropped everything they were doing to get the paint job done in record time. We made a few changes to the paint scheme at the last minute to help speed up the process, but we're thrilled with the end result. Several team members dropped by the shop Thursday night to apply the vinyl decals before the final clear coat was applied around midnight. The painters did an excellent job and we're glad to add them to a growing family of PrISUm sponsors. Team PrISUm has a busy week ahead of them in order to get the car road ready before embarking for Texas on Thursday, June 10. However, there is confidence that the team will be prepared to compete in the 2010 American Solar Challenge.

Windshield Produced at Grimm Brothers Plastics - May 18, 2010

Grimm Brothers Plastics in Wapello, IA has once again produced the lexan windshield for our solar car. From the original canopy mold, Team PrISUm laid up an additional fiberglass mold for the windshield. Then the team built a wooden support structure for the mold and sent it to Grimm Brothers. Unfortunately, the fiberglass partially collapsed under pressure during the initial production attempt. We subsequently repaired the mold and the second attempt was successful. We are very thankful for the assistance Grimm Brothers provided during the mold building and lexan production processes.

Final Sundial for Project 10 - May 18, 2010

The latest edition of our Sundial newsletter has been posted on our site and will be mailed out to sponsors in the coming weeks. This will be the last newsletter for our current project and it showcases the enormous amount of time and dedication that has gone into the project over the past two years. In the final weeks before the 2010 American Solar Challenge, the PrISUm garage is bustling with activity as new parts come in daily. The final construction process for Anthelion is in full swing!

Frame Welded by Performance Fabrication - May 13, 2010

Team PrISUm recently got our custom race frame back from being welded in Dubuque, Iowa by Performance Fabrication. It is our first time working with this company and we have been very happy with the experience. They were very knowledgeable, willing to help our team throughout the process, and most importantly the frame they delivered met our expectations for quality. Finishing the car's frame is a crucial step in completing the solar car and we are glad to have passed this important milestone.

Thanks to SignSpecialist.com for Decal Printing - April 19, 2010

Team PrISUm would like to welcome SignSpecialist.com as a new team sponsor for the vinyl decals on the solar car, race trailer, and support vehicles. Toby Adams helped us through the process and graciously offered to donate the cost of materials and printing. These decals will be seen by thousands of people in the coming years and we are happy to say that they look great!

Director Election Results for P11 - March 29, 2010

Team PrISUm has elected Eric Weflen as project director and Trevor Dobbs as assistant project director starting in Fall 2010. In his current position as fundraising director, Eric has done a phenomenal job making sure that we have sufficient funding to finish Anthelion and compete in the American Solar Challenge this summer. When our former assistant project director, Wade Johanns graduated last semester, Trevor stepped up to fulfill this role and he will be continuing in this position for Project 11. We would like to congratulate both of them for their victories and are confident in their ability to take the team to new heights in the new project cycle.

American Waterjet Trip - March 18, 2010

Thanks to Galen Thompson at American Waterjet Cutting in Winfield, Iowa, Team PrISUm was able to have carbon fiber bulkheads for the car's body precision cut instead of cutting them by hand as had been done for previous cars. This will result in improved strength, better overall appearance, and significant time savings as the team works to finish the car. At the same time, we cut the profiles for the rear suspension arms and MDF board for the electronics enclosure mold. American Waterjet Cutting has been a big supporter of our team over the years and we appreciate their continued commitment.

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