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Pick a route, run it multiple times through different scenarios - without array, with array, different drivers
Vary route after you get a good feel of one type of terrain(s); try other ones
Aerodynamic drag for a given speed is important info
Attempt to identify impacts of different weather conditions (winds) - crosswinds etc
Teams can get penalized for driving fast through strong winds
Good to set up telemetry to see these impacts in real time
Dan’s team would try to run the same circuit with different gaps, speeds, etc to test the motor’s efficiency and other tradeoffs in a constant road environment
Consider the most efficient speed - not always the best speed at the same time, it may be too low to be competitive for instance
Understand what your array can produce in varying weather conditions
Getting current into battery can also have problems - ex he gives is that battery may have a hard time getting energy from solar at 90% since it’s more difficult to charge then
As we are a cruiser class/MOV, our weight is very important
The array will be adding energy, however likely will never get an energy in = energy out as the Challengers do
Elevations and motor torque profile are very important
You may have power, but pushing speeds that you can’t maintain is hard
Consider penalty of charging - hard to model, but suboptimal situations will always occur
There is a strategic value and you need to be able to take in this kind of charge effectively without losing back
The most important part though is how the battery affects how you tackle terrain and elevations with your heavy weight and extra passengers
Better to have the chase car to act as a HQ for strategy than the solar car, have a very good real time sync 👀
Not mentioned, but this seems to be a call out for better very good and reliable networking/telemetry
Dan has heard of teams using MathWorks (MATLAB) to do simulations and vehicle modelling
Clearly the takeaway through this Q&A is test test test!!!
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