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Team New England is a solar car racing team based in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It is known for its innovative and sometimes controversial approach to solar car racing and heartbreaking losses. The Team New England pioneered the use of folding, stored arrays in solar vehicles, which were technically allowed, but controversial because of their significant advantage to traditional fixed array vehicles. Team New England also began the use of new aerodynamic theories for extremely low drag vehicles which emphasized the effect of frictional drag over traditional parameters Over a decade after they were formed, Team New England members are still considered pioneers and experts in solar car racing and design [1]
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History
Team New England (TNE) [2] was initially a friendly branch off from MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team and the UMass Lowell Solar Car team. Initially, it was formed in June 1993 to create a revolutionary entry for the 1993 World Solar Challenge in November. Then, it raced a completely new car in Sunrayce 1995 under the Northern Essex Community College banner when both MIT and UMass Lowell had their own entries. Several Boston University students joined forces in 1995, and subsequently launched their own solar car team. TNE also raced several electric vehicles in the American Tour de Sol including a Solectria Force Solectria Force, a converted 1959 Berkeley Berkeley Cars, and a Solectria Super Force (Force with Turtle Trailer)
The team is led by Olaf "Obie" Bleck. Ted "T" Bohn, Andrew Heafitz, James Nelson, Spencer Quong, Richard R. Rahders, Richard "Tricky" Shanahan, and Goro Tamai are also active team members.