ROSE: The unveiling of Appalachian’s new solar vehicle
Be among the first to see Appalachian State University’s new Cruiser Class solar vehicle. Chancellor Sheri Everts, Team Sunergy and the Office of Sustainability are hosting the unveiling of ROSE, the new solar vehicle. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.
Built for the Cruiser Class division, this racer is made from infused carbon fiber. It features seating for two, conventionally opening doors, a set of instrument gauges for fuel, speed and other information, turn signals and — an amenity the team is particularly excited about — cup holders. The car can reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour.
ROSE, an acronym for Racing on Solar Energy, is the second vehicle constructed by Appalachian’s 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.
In early July, the team will depart Boone to race in its third Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), which begins July 6 on the track at Motorsport Park in Hastings, Nebraska. Pending qualification during the FSGP, the team will embark on an eight-day, 1,700-mile, cross-country race along the Oregon Trail in the 2018 American Solar Challenge.
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 Sustainability at Appalachian
Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability is known nationally. The university’s holistic, three-branched approach considers sustainability economically, environmentally and equitably in relationship to the planet’s co-inhabitants. The university is an active steward of the state’s interconnected financial, cultural and natural resources and challenges students and others think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs that focus on sustainability. In addition, 100 percent of Appalachian’s academic departments offer at least one sustainability course or course that includes sustainability, and all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Learn more at https://appstate.edu/sustainability.
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.
