From: tylerh@cco.caltech.edu (Tyler R. Holcomb)
Subject: Tonatiuh, the Mexican Solar Car project
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 19:14:46 GMT

               TONATIUH, THE MEXICAN SOLAR RACE CAR PROJECT
                           September 2, 1992

At the initiative of Taller Espacio Verde (an environmental organization
based in Cuernavaca), Mexico will enter a solar powered racing car in
Australia's World Solar Challenge '93, a major  sporting event with
competitors from around the world. The race takes place in October 1993
and goes from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia, a distance of 3,000
kilometers, with vehicles  powered only by the sun.

ADVANCING THE STATE OF THE ART IN MEXICO
Creating solar cars has proven to be of enormous value to engineering
education in the USA, Japan and Europe. Testimonials from university
presidents, faculty advisors and students are  unequivocal in this regard.
The exercise can also be of great value to automobile manufacturers,
because the discipline of using only sun power pushes the state of the art
in many components  which will soon be incorporated into the car of the
future -- a non-polluting car which will be on  the market within the next
5 years. Already many graduates from solar car projects around the  USA
have begun their professional careers in electric vehicle development with
major  automobile manufacturers and parts suppliers.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
The solar car program is being conducted under the auspices of La Academia
de la Investigacion Cientifica (Mexico's National Academy of Science), and
is being coordinated by  Taller Espacio Verde of Cuernavaca, with technical
assistance by EcoSystems, Inc., of Santa  Cruz, California. Students from
several of the major technical universities in Mexico City have  joined
forces to create the Tonatiuh team after participating in a short course on
solar car  design under the able guidance of John Seevers, a mechanical
engineering professor from  Fresno, California. The initial design phase is
nearing completion, and construction of the car is  beginning. The car will
be tested and then entered into a series of racing competitions. It is
anticipated that the first will be "Formula Sol," a racing competition
planned to be held in Mexico  in the summer of 1993. TONATIUH will go forth
from Formula Sol with refinements to the World  Solar Challenge in
Australia in late October, 1993.

OBJECTIVES
Objectives for the Mexican entry in World Solar Challenge '93 include
motivating young people with technical talent to aspire to engineering
careers, leading automotive engineering into the  next generation; and to
ultimately reduce the air pollution in Mexico City, which suffers from the
world's worst air quality, by accelerating the state of the art in non-
polluting transportation.

PARTICIPATION AND BENEFITS
The Tonatiuh team welcomes the participation of sponsors, suppliers,
professionals and students. There are many opportunities for individuals
and companies to associate with a project  which is designed to heighten
awareness of solar energy's potential and the practical, long  range
benefits of designing for efficiency. Major sponsors will have the full
cooperation of the  Tonatiuh team to demonstrate their commitment to the
environment and technical excellence.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Beatriz Padilla, Taller Espacio Verde (Tel:281-06-55, Fax:255-4781,
Mexico City), or Ron Svensson, EcoSystems (Box 7080, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
USA, 408/425-8523, Fax:408/425-8533,  dataspace:ecosystems@igc.org)


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