Team Sunergy Project Manager Dan Blakeley ’15 ’18 reveals a rendering of the team’s new Cruiser Class solar car named ROSE, an acronym for Racing on Solar Energy.
BOONE, N.C. — Team Sunergy, Appalachian State University’s solar vehicle team, announced the name of its new Cruiser Class vehicle, now in the final stages of construction. The solar vehicle will be called ROSE — an acronym for Racing on Solar Energy.
The name was submitted by Wyatt Bailey, a sophomore from Burlington majoring in sustainable technology and a member of the Solar Vehicle Team. ROSE was one of more than 250 names submitted to the team for consideration. As the winner, Bailey’s signature will be stamped inside the body of the car.
ROSE is the second vehicle constructed by the solar vehicle team. Apperion, a single-passenger racing vehicle, was constructed in 2015 using a shell from a retired solar vehicle donated by Iowa State University. The Cruiser Class car is designed, constructed, machined and outfitted by Team Sunergy with help from VX Aerospace in Morganton, a composite fabrication and assembly company, and the Machine Shop team in Appalachian’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. Many of the vehicle’s smaller components are purchased rather than custom made — a considerable cost savings.
The name was announced at the Appalachian State University Foundation Board of Directors meeting held May 4. Dan Blakeley, team project manager, told the board, in addition to being an appropriate acronym, “a yellow rose — or maybe an ‘Appalachian Rose’ — is a symbol of sunshine and a bright future. That embodies what this vehicle is meant to be.”
Furthermore, Blakeley said, “It will have the look and feel of a true automobile. A true car.”
The team plans to unveil the car in Appalachian’s Holmes Convocation Center June 22 and will depart Boone soon after to race in its third Formula Sun Grand Prix on the track at Motorsport Park in Hastings, Nebraska. From there, the team will embark on an eight-day, 1,700-mile, cross-country race along the Oregon Trail in the 2018 American Solar Challenge.
A concept drawing of Team Sunergy’s new Cruiser Class solar vehicle. Illustration by John Lalevee
Built for the Cruiser Class division, this racer is made from infused carbon fiber. It features seating for two, conventionally opening doors, a gauge cluster, turn signals and — an amenity the team is particularly excited about — cup holders. The car can reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour.
“We believe we have one of the best cars to be entered into the competition,” Blakeley said.
Blakeley ’15 graduates with dual master’s degrees in technology and engineering physics May 12. A veteran who served six years in the Army with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, he conceived of the idea while an undergraduate and has been a driving force behind the project.
He will serve as faculty adviser to Team Sunergy next fall, turning over leadership to Kali Smith, a senior from Connelly Springs studying environmental economics and policy, and Bailey, who will be the engineering director for the team during the race.
In his remarks to the board, Blakeley thanked the members for their support and for helping the team network and gain exposure. He said the team was in critical need of a truck for towing the new vehicle, particularly over mountainous terrain.
Coming soon — How to grow a ROSE: the making of a Cruiser Class car
An informative documentary that follows Appalachian State University's Team Sunergy as they compete in the 2017 Formula Sun Grand Prix. Team Sunergy travels from Boone, North Carolina, to Austin, Texas, for three days of solar racing at the United States’ premier Formula 1 track, Circuit of the Americas.
About App State’s Team Sunergy
Appalachian State University’s internationally recognized Team Sunergy is an interdisciplinary, student-led team with a passion for sustainable transportation — and the ingenuity, innovation and drive to create it. The team began in fall 2013, as a class project to build a solar-powered golf cart, and has evolved into an award-winning program that has achieved podium finishes in every year of competition in both the Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge (ASC), including a first-place finish in the 2021 ASC. Both races set the standards for and test the limits of solar vehicle technology. Team Sunergy’s first vehicle, Apperion, was a modified single-occupant race car. In 2018, the team designed and built its current, two-passenger, Cruiser Class car, ROSE (Racing on Solar Energy), from the ground up. Learn more at https://sunergy.appstate.edu.
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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