2016 Solar Car Challenge to visit Ponca City in July

Teams of high school students driving their own solar car projects will visit Ponca City in July as part of the Solar Car Challenge.

The Solar Car Challenge is an education program designed to help motivate students in Science, Engineering and Alternative Energy.

"We teach high school students how to plan, design, engineer, build, race, and evaluate roadworthy solar cars. Students demonstrate that green technology can create a better world," said Dr. Lehman Marks with the Solar Car Challenge Foundation.

Science & Technology Magazine named the Solar Car Challenge as one of the top Science & Engineering programs in the country. The Challenge has 161 high school solar car projects in various stages of development in anticipation of an upcoming solar racing event. Teams are located in 31 states, Mexico, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.

Thirty-two teams have announced that they plan to take part in this summer’s cross-country drive from Fort Worth to Minneapolis.

High School teams begin preparation for their year-long project during education workshops in September 2015. Additional workshops, on-site visits, and mentor opportunities, and camps help propel the projects to success.

After qualifying, teams get the opportunity to drive their solar cars cross-country from Fort Worth to Minneapolis in July.

The 2016 Race will feature a new racing division: the Electric-Solar Powered Car. This Division features a two-passenger electric car powered by permanent charging stations.

The schedule for the teams:

Qualifying: Saturday/Sunday July 15-16 at the Texas Motor Speedway

Event Begins: Sunday, July 17 (Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth)

Teams in Ponca City: Monday, July 18 in the University Center Parking Lot, 2800 N. 14 Street, from 4 to 9 p.m.

Event Ends : Saturday, July 23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.