Last week, the team had the privilege of hosting a few members of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Solar Car Team. The MIT team traveled from Boston to do wind tunnel testing on the vehicle they are planning to race in the World Solar Challenge.

After the usual General Team Meeting last Monday, about 20 members from the University of Michigan Solar Car Team enjoyed dinner at Grizzly Peak in downtown Ann Arbor with the members of the MIT team. It was exciting to get together with another team to get a perspective on how the solar car programs around the country differ. The two teams shared stories giving both teams an inside look at different team structures and philosophies.

After their 4 year hiatus, the MIT team will be competing in the World Solar Challenge this fall with their new vehicle, Eleanor. They also plan on completing a cross-country trip in their car from Boston to California (hopefully, stopping the visit the UM team again on their way!) to see their car off to Australia.

The University of Michigan Solar Car Team wishes the MIT the best of luck and looks forward to seeing them in the Outback this fall.

To learn more about the M.I.T solar car team, click the following link: http://web.mit.edu/solar-cars/www

Yesterday was the opening day of the Preview Week at the North American International Auto Show.

This year instead of being surrounded by companies and other student projects in Michigan Hall in the basement of COBO, the team's display is in the middle of a forest! The team was given a large space next to the "Ride and Drive" event featuring environmentally friendly "green" cars that can be driven through a course with grown trees, gardens, and fountains.

I would like to thank everyone who helped make the Auto Show possible this year. The team received an incredible amount of support from the community and our friends at COBO. First of all, thank you to Marilyn Doebler at the Detroit Auto Dealers Association for her continued support and her generosity in providing the team a space at the show. We are truly grateful for the experience of participating in such an incredible event.


I would also like to thank:

Colleen Weir and Motor City Electric for supporting the team and for being so eager to help the team with the electrical set-up for the show.

Convention and Show Services for being so welcoming and providing the team with stanchions to help protect the car.

Bobby Whiting for helping with logistical arrangements for move-in and move-out and for offering extra support when the team was in search of more sponsors for the display.

Kathy Newman with the Credentials Office for being understanding and accommodating with the schedules of busy College students.

WAP John and Grafaktri for stepping in to provide the team with beautiful display boards that will be used over and over again. The boards are invaluable in helping the team display our message to everyone who passes by the display. WAP John

Patrick Quiggin McNabb for providing the carpet for the very large display.

John Marxhausen and Alex Mills at Blue Water Technologies for providing the TVs and DVD players for the display. Without the support of Blue Water, the team would not be able to provide the inside glimpse into the team that the slide show, Continiuum movie, and the solar car racing simulator facilitate.

Scott Meier at The Kelsey Museum of Archeology for lending the team display cases to showcase parts of the car and a wind tunnel model. We are appreciative that we are able to display the parts that our sponsors so graciously machined for us.

The Michigan Student Assembly for helping the team purchase print materials.

Chito Garcia, simply for being Chito, an invaluable support to the team.

Finally, thank you to everyone on the team who helped with procurement, logistics, move-in, and staffing. I hope you enjoy the show!

Public days for the North American International Auto Show are the 17th-25th of January. We hope to see you there!

A walk through the display (Sorry about the camera flip)

*More pictures to come!*