HelioTech advisor Vinson Bell supervises as senior Brandon Lu test drives the car without its
carbon fiber shell for the first time in anticipation for the Solar Car Challenge.
By Evelyn Lam
Staff Writer
HelioTech took home silver at the Solar Car Challenge this summer at the Texas Motor Speedway from July 10 to July 17 as the climax of a year-long project. Four days of racing, many challenges and new lessons later, the team raced a total of 293 laps or 439.5 miles. HelioTech began their work towards their moment of glory long before the wheels hit the track.
Vinson Bell, a trustee of the school board, spearheaded the team’s establishment. “We wanted something environmentally friendly that could teach us things other STEM clubs aren’t teaching us,” co-captain Isa Wu said. “Our advisor Mr. Bell, my co-captain Steven and I came up with this and put it into motion.”
The team is made up of 29 members and five specialized groups, each in charge of a different aspect. The operations team manages sponsorships, funding and publicity while the other four manage parts of the construction process from mechanical, electrical and solar to composites.
“It’s run like a business,” Wu said. “We have to go through budget meetings, propose a plan and discuss the risks.”
HelioTech works to both acquire funding and build the car, putting in about 30 hours per week after school.
“Everyone came in at ground level, but now, second-year members can apply their
knowledge in a more intentional way,” senior Sarah Shifter said. “We can anticipate the types of
problems we are going to encounter.”
The team accounted for various details during the building stage to optimize their race
performance.
“We chose carbon fiber for its efficiency and weight even though it is expensive,” Wu said. “We used aluminum tubing for its lightness compared to steel and Alumalite for the floor of the car as it is lightweight and also strong.”
Wire by wire, HelioTech blossomed into the team that landed in Texas where other surprises awaited. The Solar Car Challenge invited high school teams across the country to race their solar-panel powered cars. The HelioTech team faced trials including two days of scrutineering, a process in which the car is examined for its safety and build.
“The judges go through the whole car in detail,” Shifter said. “The judges marked several issues that we hadn’t anticipated, so we had to do a lot of last-minute problem solving.”
Once past scrutineering, the team hit another curve in the road. Moments before the start of the race, the team discovered that the car’s solar panels weren’t working. Under the time constraints and the risk of losing their desired number one starting spot, HelioTech had to do some quick thinking.
“We were panicking to fix it,” junior Matthew Kong said. “I was sitting inside the car as they were pushing it up to the entrance trying to screw things back in.”
Once on the road, Shifter and the control team have critical tasks.
“Most days I was racing for three hours at a time,” Shifter said. “I have to be super alert because I’m looking for cars around me, navigating the turns, adjusting and radioing back to control for data collection.”
With a year of work, scrutineering and last-minute fixing all culminating in this moment, the team received both results and invaluable experience.
“HelioTech gives you the opportunity to do things you don’t learn in a normal classroom setting,” sophomore Rylan Chau said. “It opens up the world.”
Beyond technical experience, members receive comradeship.
“Some of the best relationships I’ve made, both personal and professional, have been because of HelioTech,” junior Felicia Shih said. “Working together so extensively means you get to know your teammates very well.”
HelioTech is one of four Solar Car teams in California and larger than most teams across the country. Their work even caught the attention of local news stations like NBC 4 LA and World Journal.
“I never thought I would get interviewed by the local news,” Chau said. “It was definitely on my bucket list.”
HelioTech advocates for a vision beyond winning trophies and individual success. With the mission of promoting renewable energy at the heart of their endeavors, HelioTech seeks to prove a future with broad potential.
“A lot of people think that a solar powered car is something of the future or something that only a big corporation can do,” Shifter said. “The fact that we did it in our own district within one year and that it’s student-ran spreads awareness that it is an attainable goal for society.”