Iowa State’s Team PrISUm will figuratively lift the tarpaulin off its newest solar car Saturday at 3 p.m. in the atrium of the Molecular Biology building.

The PrISUm Phoenix, which features a rising Phoenix painted on the hood of the car, was built and designed by ISU students.

The team will use the car in an attempt to edge out the competition in Sunrayce 99, a 1,340 mile race from Washington, D.C. to Orlando, Fla., being held June 20-29.

Dave Holger, associate dean of the College of Engineering, and Allen Ihlefeld, director of Team PrISUm, will speak prior to the unveiling ceremony.

Dave Stutzman, mechanical team co-leader and senior in mechanical engineering, said the car’s new body design will soak up more sunlight.

“Previous years, we’ve used a curved body style intended for east and west travel. This year we have a north to south route and a flat area will give us more area pointed to the sun,” Stutzman said.

The new design also features a more powerful motor than in past years, 8.5 horsepower, that directly drives the wheel mechanism. In previous years, Team PrISUm used a less efficient system of pulleys and belts powered by a smaller motor, Stutzman said.

Forty teams from colleges, universities, trade schools and other post-secondary educational institutions are allowed to participate in this year’s race. So far, 55 teams registered and will have to qualify at the GM Proving Grounds in Michigan at the end of April.

“The competition will be stiff this year,” Stutzman said. “A lot of top teams are returning, but we have experience from last year, and we’ll raise our level up to compete.”

Team PrISUm is looking to improve on its 26th place finish in Sunrayce 97.

“To win requires a … reliable, incredibly efficient vehicle and an excellent, well-trained team to race it,” said Ihlefeld, senior in industrial engineering. “We want to take what we have and make it do the best it possibly can.”

A strategic team has been working for over a year developing software to make the trip a little smoother.

“The most difficult thing we have to deal with during the race is the unknown weather,” Ihlefeld said.

Both Ihlefeld and Stutzman speak with fondness about their experience working and being a part of the project.

“This project is very rare. It lets you incorporate so many different disciplines,” Ihlefeld said.

“It’s been one of the most beneficial things I’ve done,” Stutzman said. “It’s real-world experience, and the satisfaction you get from seeing it go down the road is incredible.”

The unveiling of the new car is free and open to the public.

PrISUm Phoenix is the fifth solar car built by ISU students since 1990, when ISU began participating in Sunrayce.