University of Illinois solar car to be featured at Chicago Auto Show
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The nation's largest and longest-running auto show opens its doors at McCormick Place this weekend.
There has always been something for everyone at the Chicago Auto Show – and this year, in addition to the concept cars and demonstrations by the big automakers, there will also be a solar-powered race car dubbed The Calypso.
The Calypso was designed and created by students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It took three years to build, and it will soon race across the country.
"We'll be racing in the American Solar Challenge throughout the American Midwest this summer – as well as the Formula Sun Grand Prix, which is a track race in Kansas," said U of I student Erie Berri.
As explained on the Illini Solar Car website, the Calypso is the first three-wheel car designed by the team - and het most efficient yet. Work began on the car in the spring of 2022, and manufacturing that summer.
Calypso's predecessors – Argo, completed in 2017; and Brizo, completed in 2021 – both had four wheels.
"The biggest mechanical change from our second generation car, Brizo, to Calypso is the number of wheels. Brizo has four wheels while Calypso only has three," Illinois Solar Car student advisor Selis Yaltkaya said in a news release. "We needed to shift the placement of our driver and therefore had to come up with an innovative suspension design to accommodate this change, along with doing analysis to ensure the car will still be stable and safe."
At 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13, CBS 2 will take a look at some of the hottest electric, hybrid, and gas-powered cars at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show.
