page_title: Midnight Sun Solar Race Team
section_title: Background information
hierarchical_section_title: Midnight Sun Solar Race Team / Background information
caption_attribution_description: The University of Waterloo's Midnight Sun Solar Car team takes a test lap during the unveiling of Midnight Sun X, the team's 10th vehicle.
context_page_description: The Midnight Sun Solar Rayce Car Team is a Canadian solar car race team affiliated with the University of Waterloo of Waterloo, Ontario. Founded in 1988, the Midnight Sun team is a student-run organization which designs and builds a solar vehicle every two to three years to compete in two solar challenges; the World Solar Challenge, held in Australia, and the American Solar Challenge, held in the United States. The team's roster recruits from every department on campus, resulting in a diverse, innovative team and work environment.
  The Midnight Sun team's mission is to build a competitive solar car which will promote design, innovation and teamwork amongst students at the University of Waterloo. Furthermore, they aim to educate the public on sustainable technologies as well as explore the possibilities of solar energy applications for a greener tomorrow.
context_section_description: One of the team's major efforts is to raise environmental awareness and generate interest in renewable energy. The team strives to events to educate the public on the environment, and takes part in local community events. Much of the funding for the solar cars come from internal and external sponsorship.
  The name "Midnight Sun" comes from Midnight Sun, a natural phenomenon occurring north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle during the summer months where the sun remains visible 24 hours a day.
  This phenomenon would, in theory, keep solar vehicles powered all day; making solar cars the effective and clean choice.
  The team held the Guinness World Record for "Longest Journey by Solar Electric Vehicle."The trip took place from August 7 through September 14, 2004, the car traveled a total of 15,070 km (9,360 mi) through the United States and Canada.[2] The journey started at the university's Davis Center and visited Vancouver, San Francisco, Houston, Florida, Washington DC, New York City, and Halifax before finishing at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
  The solar car's unusual design prompted locals, on two occasions during the trip, to phone radio stations to report that a UFO was driving on the highway.[1] The team officially broke the record on August 26 when they crossed the border from California to Arizona.[4]     The previous record was held by Queen's University with a total of 7044 km travelled during July 2000. [11]
  Although the team's work on the car is not part of the school curriculum, some students can integrate class projects into the club. For example, all engineering undergraduates are required to do a senior design project; some engineers design parts for the car, submit them for marks, and then install them.[1]
caption: The Midnight Sun X taken for a test drive in June 2011.
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