CalSol stayed up all night working on the car. We made a lot of progress on the electrical system although the continuous rain, thunder and lightning plus a brief tornado watch forced us to pack up our camp and delayed our progress. Despite coping with extreme winds and flooded tents throughout the night, our electrical team was able to resolve a communication error in our electrical system. Unfortunately, other hardware errors still persisted.
Sleep deprived and battered by the weather, ultimately the team decided that our untested battery protection system was not yet ready to cope with the bumps and bruises of an extended track race. After two sleepless nights our electrical team made the heartbreaking decision to pack up their tools and get some much needed rest. When the checkered flag dropped this morning we were not among the six teams that started racing.
The good news is that the race organizers have informed us that they will consider letting us join the race if we can finish the battery protection system and pass dynamic testing. However, even if our electrical problems prove insurmountable we still plan to continue to observe the race and learn from the other solar car teams and expert scrutineers.
Finally, and most importantly, we would like to thank all of our sponsors, the University, our friends and family for their support. Without all of them we could never have made it this far.