Fall Update: Operation Brizo
Our last update came to you at the end of the spring 2020 semester, as team members returned to their homes around the country. Now, as we prepare to return to the University of Illinois for what will certainly be a unique semester, there remains some confusion regarding our team’s current operations and plans for the future. We hope to clear some of this up.
Regarding Races
In the interest of team safety, we have decided not to attend the 2020 Formula Sun Grand Prix (originally scheduled for July, moved to September, and finally outright cancelled). We of course regret not being able to show off the performance of our latest car until next year, but this was a necessary measure to take to ensure that team members remain safe. We're working to complete Brizo for next year's race.
The American Solar Challenge and Bridgestone World Solar Challenge now both fall in 2021. Our team used a variety of factors including cost of attendance, timing, and necessary engineering changes to decide which race to attend, or if it would be feasible to attend both races. As a result of this evaluation, we will only be attending the 2021 American Solar Challenge. BWSC had a much higher cost of attendance and required significant vehicle modification to be feasible, making it unreasonable for our team to attend.
Working on Campus
The University of Illinois is pursuing hybrid classes for the fall semester, with many larger courses available entirely online to allow flexible attendance and enable students to continue their education from home. Some of our team members have elected to take this option, and will only return to campus later this year or for the next semester.
Though our access to campus workspaces is limited, we are committed to finishing our car on time and in the safest way possible. We are following all guidelines provided by the University for work in our garage, and have instituted some of our own regulations to further ensure member safety. Access to the garage is monitored, and restricted to very specific project work. With these guidelines in place, our team hopes to continue hands-on work with the car.
Regardless of the access to campus workspaces, our team is continuing design work and meetings through an online format. This approach has been successful for the team to stay productive during the transition to online classes during the academic year, as well as over the summer. Although the adjustment has been difficult, we have full confidence in our ability to finish our car this fall.
THE NEW CAR’S NAME
The name Argo was selected to honor a team alumnus named Jason, whose support of the 2014 team was essential to their success. The name Argo comes from the ancient Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts - a group of sailors and adventurers who boarded the Argo to embark on their search for the Golden Fleece.
The latest generation of the Illini Solar Car will be named Brizo. As the Greek goddess Brizo protected the Argonauts on their legendary journey, our Brizo will ensure the safety of our drivers as they compete across the world. This is the first time we’re formally revealing the name of the car, though it has been mentioned in news coverage of the team and a previous team update.
As swift as the wind, Brizo is a revolutionary step forward for the team and will carry us to new heights. We’re excited to fully present Brizo to you as we finish construction.