Aurora

Sunrayce1993

In 1993, UMNSVP finished building it's first solar car, Aurora. The team's first ever competition was Sunrayce '93, finishing at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, MN.

1994 saw the team learn from its experiences in its first competition, and begin designs on Aurora II, which would prove to be a rapid improvement from their first solar car.

WSR1995

In 1995, construction on Aurora II was completed, and the team came out of nowhere to take 2nd place at Sunrayce '95, by a margin of under 20 minutes. They went on to compete in the team's first international event, the 1995 World Solar Rally in Akita Japan, placing 2nd in the Junior Class.

The team did not attend a rayce in 1996, but started designs for Aurora^3. The hit movie "Race the Sun" was released in 1996.

Sunrayce1997

1997 saw the team finish construction on Aurora^3, our most efficient solar car yet. They competed in Sunrayce '97, traveling from Indiana to Colorado.

WSR1998

In 1998, the team took Aurora^3 to Japan for the 1998 World Solar Rally. Building off their success at WSR 1995, the team took first place in the Junior Class, the team's first victory at competition.

WSC1999

1999 was a busy year for UMNSVP, including the unveiling of Aurora IV. A4 went on to take 4th place in Sunrayce '99, an event filled with rainstorms, and then the team competed for the first time ever at the 1999 World Solar Challenge in Australia.

FSGP2000

The new millennium saw the team bring back Aurora^3 out of retirement to compete in the first every Formula Sun Grand Prix event. Designs were started for what would become the Borealis series of solar cars.