Alcoa sub contributes to solar car production
Alcoa Fastening Systems, a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh aluminum company, is helping design and build the University of Michigan's entry for a car race in which the competitors are solely powered by the sun.
The Alcoa (NYSE:AA) unit is contributing more than 130 kinds of fasteners for Michigan's solar car, called "Momentum," which will compete in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge, a 2,500-mile race from Austin, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The race is scheduled to start July 17.
The cars are powered solely by sunlight. The cross country race will be 8 a.m to 3 p.m. each day.
Other competing schools including the University of Minnesota, MIT, Stanford and Kansas. The participants will use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity to power the cars. In general, the brighter the sun, the faster the cars will travel, officials said.
"The Alcoa fasteners provide Momentum with a lightweight, yet safe solution to our production needs," said Michael Brackney, the Michigan car's project manager. "The innovative design of the fasteners also has significantly cut down our maintenance time."
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