Atlantic Canada’s First Solar Electric Vehicle Student Team
Play This Video

Vision

Founded in 2021, Dalhousie Solar Car Team (DalSol) designs, builds and races a solar-powered electric vehicle. Our 80-member team is comprised of students from Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Chemical, Environmental, Industrial Engineering and Computer Science who share a passion for climate solutions.

The Formula Sun Grand Prix is an annual closed-track event that attracts student teams from post-secondary institutions across North America. Racing at FSGP has been our dream since day 1 and with hard work, effort and perseverance, our solar car NOVA made its debut this year!

Our Solar Car's debut at FSGP in July 2023!

Looking ahead to 2024, we intend to compete in the American Solar Challenge, a bi-annual endurance rally across multiple states in the US. Please check out our Updates tab for details regarding our new project cycle.

To see what our team worked on last year, you can visit our previous project page here.

Story

Over the past 2.5 years, the project has had over 80+ members contribute to our car to date. Everyone brings something to the table, and we believe that the unique backgrounds and talents is what makes DalSol.

Our team is incredibly proud to have represented Atlantic Canada this FSGP in Kansas from June 27th to July 2nd. Even with the smallest race crew there, we achieved 3rd overall in Scrutineering and 4th in the SOV (single-occupant vehicle) class after completing 135 laps, totaling over 543 kilometers, ultimately exceeding our own expectations. We also got awarded “Best New Scrutineering Team”!

However, we could not have done it alone. Sponsors are integral to our success; without support from the community, this achievement would not be possible. Both monetary contributions and in-kind donations, expertise and advice helped us reach significant milestones and makes solar racing all it is worth!

Strategy

Our mission is to produce doers of electric vehicle development and to excite the public about sustainable transportation and promote the practicality of renewable energy.

Solar car team alumni around the world are highly desired by tech companies, manufacturing, consulting, and automotive giants due to sheer exposure and depths of experience they gain from building a solar car and working in a multidisciplinary group with time and financial constraints.

Designing and building a solar car requires a wide range of real-life engineering skills, both technical and non-technical. Since the beginning, the team has evolved as a unique group of its own that allows students to extend their education far beyond traditional classroom learning.

Impact

Our first ever race at FSGP 2023 was a success and showed the competition what Dalhousie students can achieve. Next year, the team’s main goal is to build a new solar array. This allows for greater efficiency to gain a competitive edge to more effectively charge our battery pack. The team also plans to design and build a new set of wheels, make improvements to the brakes, motor, and electrical controls system. Funding will be used to cover materials for these developments and testing of the car. Additionally, race registration for both FSGP and ASC make up a significant portion of project expenses, as well as associated travel expenses and logistics (i.e., accommodations, uniforms, data plans, etc.). We also plan on hosting outreach events and workshops throughout the year to inspire and encourage those that are interested in seeing what we do!

We are counting on your support to help make DalSol’s journey long-lasting so that we can pave the way for students that share the mindset of building solar-powered EVs for a better future. We have gained a whole new set of experiences so far, and we want to make this a reality for generations to come.

Your support will be essential in allowing us to attend and compete in FSGP and ASC 2024 to represent Atlantic Canada’s Solar Electric Vehicle Student Team.

To stay up to date on our work, please follow along on our Instagram and LinkedIn!

All-team meeting is every Wednesday 7pm in the Heavy Prototyping Lab in Emera IDEA Building, Sexton Campus. Sub-team work sessions occur ad-hoc basis throughout the week. Please feel free to come visit our shop and see our work!

If you would like more information about this campaign please reach out to Venna Penney at venna.penney@dal.ca. To mail a cheque please send to the Office of Advancement, 6389 Coburg Road, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 2A5.

Updates

New Project Cycle 2023-2024

August 26, 2023

Thank you to everyone for making our first project cycle as successful as it was. It is our belief that the community fosters growth within DalSol and brings the motivation, rapport and resilience that forms victories both in the shop and at the track. As we mark one down in history, we start a new chapter that we hope you continue to follow!

We are beginning with a new goal of 35k for the 2023-2024 cycle. Our main initiatives this year are to:

Technical Objectives

• Build a new solar array; greater efficiency means more effectively charging our battery pack.

• Create a new shell for the solar array.

• Create a whole CAD model of the car.

• Design a new roll cage and fairings for the wheels.

• Make improvements to the brakes, motor, and electrical controls system.

Operations

• More community events to promote the practicality of solar energy and renewable resources.

• Make students cognizant of opportunities they can pursue in post-secondary and create awareness of ongoing projects in industry through partnerships and sponsors.

• Establish an improved plan and timeline to strategize outreach, grow our social media presence and increase public exposure.

• More resources to incentivize recruitment and hold team activities to encourage morale and team development to celebrate project milestones.

This year, we wish to participate in both FSGP and ASC 2024 to showcase how well we can prepare our car to perform at the multi-day, cross-country endurance event which will span over 3000km. This means that the design, build and development, and testing phases are key and significant stages of our process, requiring various supplies and equipment to achieve our vision. Funding will bring us the greater support that is needed to check off our list and even let us extend beyond it. With your help, we can make our outcome better than ever.

Please check out the “Impact” section of our bio to find out how your contribution makes the difference. Any sponsorship, media or general inquiries can be directed to solarcar@dal.ca. Cheers to another year of solar racing!

Thank you to our supporters!

July 18, 2023

We want to express our utmost gratitude for your contribution to the Dalhousie Solar Car Team. As you may have heard, we started off as a small group of engineering students in February 2021, with the dream to innovate high in-demand electric vehicles. Not only does this require hard work, dedication and many hours in the shop, but it is the minds and talents of our interdisciplinary team that come together to create a sense of togetherness and group harmony for success.

Donations have given us the tools and materials necessary for the construction and development of our car, NOVA. We must admit, funding has been a big obstacle, and it is never easy for any newly formed team; there is an element of trust that has to be established between us and the community, and you have given us hope every step of the way. That being said, your support has brought morale and created the opportunity for DalSol to participate in Formula Sun Grand Prix 2023, an annual closed-track event that attracts solar car teams across North America, marking ourselves in history as the first ever Atlantic Canadian solar car team to attend!

At FSGP, we pursued solar racing amongst many post-secondary institutions and showcased our engineering capabilities. Despite having the smallest race crew of only six members, we impressed the competition and performed even beyond our own expectations. We blew through Scrutineering by placing 3rd overall and during the track event, completed 135 laps, counting over 335 miles, and came 4th in the SOV (single-occupant vehicle) class. We were also awarded "Best New Scrutineering Team"!

Best New Scrutineering Team!

Check out our Instagram and Linkedin to find more media recap and also see detailed results via the American Solar Challenge website.

Lastly, note that our projectDal fundraiser is still open for donations! We are in the process of collecting funds to help wrap up this year and start the next project cycle strong. Please spread the word with family, friends and anyone that you know wishes to support our solar car journey!

Sending you warmest sun-ergy,

Dalhousie Solar Car Team

Highlighting our achievements from this past year!

July 13, 2023

– Between May to August 2022, we raised enough funds to purchase 500 li-ion batteries. In-vehicle aluminum supports are designed to allow optimal angle for solar charging. We also completed finite element analysis of 6 loading cases on the roll cage. The team took a much-needed break in July before preparing for a new project cycle in September.

– In the Fall term (Sep-Nov 2022), we established commands between the motor and the motor controller. Throttle pedal among other driver controls were installed. Wheels are reconditioned for road action. Battery characterization tests had begun. Solar array is reconfigured into 3 sub-arrays for optimal performance.

– In the Winter term (Jan-Apr 2023), we finished battery cell characterization and assembled them into a 108V pack. Occupant seat was put together with a new 5-point racing harness. The dashboard was redesigned and fabricated including all necessary vehicle monitoring systems. With the majority of our subsystems complete, the car was powered up and successfully completed its first test drive!

– From May to mid-June 2023, we made final touches to prepare for scrutineering and get ready for the race! Members worked tirelessly and spent many hours in the shop on the car; this includes, but is not limited to high-voltage box, BMS and array wiring, mechanical work on braking, structural repairs and making the impound box for our batteries. Vehicle decals, design reports and race-related documents were being finished as well. Dynamic tests happened in Waterville, NS, to ensure that drivers could complete slaloms, figure-8s and wet braking.

– End of June to early July, the team heads off to the race! The event was an overall success for DalSol and marks the first time in history that an Atlantic Canadian solar car team participated at FSGP! The team will wrap up all race-related activities, take a well-deserved break, and aims to start the new project cycle near the end of August to plan for FSGP/ASC 2024.

Supporters

Claudia De Fuentes - Supporter from 2022/23

This is an exceptional initiative run by students, it shows a truly entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. Maya and Sarah Blair will be happy to see the success of this team and this initiative

Heidi Belcourt - Supporter from 2022/23

To fund the young minds in creating a healthy environment for future generations!

Bill Holtby - Supporter from 2022/23

As a mentor and sponsor for several years of FIRST Robotics (FRC) and FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams I have a strong appreciation for the commitment, co-operation and inter-disciplinary skills required to bring these projects to completion.

Dianne Piaskoski - Supporter from 2022/23

I loved hearing about your project and goals on CTV news. You are all young, enthusiastic, and are working hard on an important project. You deserve to participate at the competition in Kansas. I hope you get there and "bonne chance" if you do!

Joshua Nyamukapa - Supporter from 2022/23

A great bunch of people I got to meet along the way. All the best :)