Ford CEO gets sneak peak at U. students' solar racing car

Twelve members of Penn's Solar Racing Team had radiant smiles in the Towne Building yesterday as they showed off their solar car to Ford Motor Co. CEO Jacques Nasser. The students gathered around Independence, the solar car which raced from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs, Colo. in Sunrayce '97, the largest solar-electric vehicle race in North America. Engineering senior Ravi Jain and Engineering junior Gabriel Eichler, the two team leaders, introduced Independence to Chief Executive Officer Nasser and other Ford representatives. They discussed what the team does and responded to Nasser's questions about the solar car. According to Jain, Ford gave large gifts to the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, with part of the donation supporting the solar car project. Nasser added that Ford has "had a long history of sponsoring solar cars." The team is also funded through alumni, industry gifts and other corporate sponsors. The Penn Solar Racing Team is a student-run organization which includes members from all the Engineering disciplines, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences and Wharton, Jain explained, adding that the members have "the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom." There are about 40 to 50 members on the team and every two years they build a new solar-powered vehicle that participates in the Sunrayce. Last June, the team's most recent solar car -- Lightning -- finished 12th out of 30 teams. This year, the team will "concentrate on designing [their] next solar car for the 2001 Sunrayce," Jain said. When Nasser, chuckling, asked if the team gets any revenue, Eichler replied that they are a "non-profit company" that wants to give back to the community. He then described some projects on which they are working with West Philadelphia middle- and high-school students to create a solar car. At the end of the 10-minute discussion, the team presented Nasser with a Penn Solar Racing Team shirt and an Engineering hat, bestowing him the title of "honorary member of the team." The members were enthusiastic about Nasser's visit. "It was an honor that he came to visit our school," said Victor Chen, an Engineering senior. "We appreciate his support." And Engineering sophomore Tom Olsen said he thought it was a "great opportunity for us to get future sponsors and technological advice." After the discussion, Nasser and the other Ford representatives attended meetings in the Towne Building. Earlier in the day, Nasser also gave a lecture in the Annenberg Center, discussing his experiences as CEO of a major corporation.