Team
KU Solar Car is a student-led non-profit organization at the University of Kansas. Our goals are to develop solar-powered vehicles that raise awareness of clean energy, participate in international solar car competitions, and demonstrate technological efficiency paired with interdisciplinary cooperation.
The team is currently working to develop KU’s first, to-scale, solar-powered electric vehicle. Our team is made up of students representing a diverse set of academic majors organized to facilitate individual growth in hands-on engineering, business development, and project management. The team appreciates your support to not only develop well-rounded students but also serve as educators on the value of clean technology at KU.
Leadership
Davis Nguyen
Karl Director
Alexa Wildy
Mechanical Lead
Hiep Tran
Power Distribution Lead
David Dahl
Souler Director
Mackenzie Marco
Treasurer
Alex Ottinger
Solar Lead
Spencer King
Aeroshell Lead
Andrew Riachi
Control Systems Lead
Subteams
Aeroshell
The Aeroshell team is responsible for designing and building the composite aerodynamic shell that surrounds the car. The fiberglass and resin composite is designed for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.
Business
The Business team manages fundraising, sponsor relations, recruitment, marketing, and community outreach. Business maintains the non-engineering aspects of our organization, which allows for the rest of the team to successfully build the vehicle.
Control Systems
The Control Systems team is responsible for motor control and driver controls like throttle, regenerative braking, horn, headlights, and turn signals. They also manage the protection circuitry that can ensure the safety of the driver in emergency circumstances.
Mechanical
The Mechanical team designs and builds the mechanical subsystems of the car. This includes the chassis, suspension, propulsion, aerodynamic shell, and controls. These subsystems are designed to ensure the safety of the driver and to maximize the efficiency of the vehicle.
Power Distribution
The Power Distribution team is responsible for safely and efficiently transferring energy to the electrical system from stored energy in the battery pack and energy produced by the solar arrays.
Solar
The Solar team manufactures and develops the solar arrays that will be used to charge the vehicle. The solar subteam provides opportunities to learn about the design and manufacturing of energy generation systems using solar power
Telemetry
The Telemetry team gathers data from a variety of sensors in the car such as the battery, motor, and GPS. The most relevant data, such as battery charge and speed, are displayed to the driver. The bulk of the data is transmitted over 4G so it can be viewed remotely in realtime and analyzed later.
Faculty
Professor Morteza Hashemi
Morteza Hashemi is an Assistant Professor at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of the University of Kansas. He received his MSc and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Boston University in 2013 and 2015, and his BSc degree from Sharif University of Technology. He was a postdoctoral researcher and senior lecturer at the Ohio State University 2015-2018. His research interest spans the areas of wireless and mmWave communication, networked systems, and applications of machine learning in these areas.