For a week before and during the 2016 American Solar Challenge at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania, Appalachian’s solar vehicle underwent scrutineering – detailed inspections and performance trials. Apperion passed all scrutineering tests in time to begin the first day of track racing. Not all vehicles did. Some crashed during slalom testing and spent valuable time repairing; some had difficulty in the wet road brake testing; others had driver egress and communications tech challenges.

Racing the Sun

An Appalachian team seeks to change the future of transportation with a solar race car

Aug. 17, 2016

Take a dozen Appalachian students, three passionate faculty and an institutional commitment to sustainability and you get a race car powered by the sun that wins third place in a three-day track race and places sixth in a cross-country race lasting eight days and nearly 2,000 miles. You get innovations in sustainable technology. And, you get a roadmap to the car of the future.

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About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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