Day 4: Zainesville, OH to Portland, IN

 Yesterday, July 12th 2024, we had another eventful yet productive day on our solar car journey:

Starting Point
We began our day in Zanesville, Ohio at 9:30 am, taking some time to charge up the batteries by pointing the car towards the sun for a few hours in preparation for the clouds and rain expected in the evening.

Technical Issues
We had some light brake issues but resolved them thanks to Downtown Cycles in Newark, OH. We later bled the brakes and replaced the pads. 

Weather
Throughout the day, we enjoyed lots of sun keeping our battery nearly full.  Then, around 5pm, a big rainstorm rolled in. Fortunately, we got the car into the trailer just before the storm.

Highlight
The highlight of the day was collecting 8.1 kWh of energy. This allowed us to drive 186 miles and end the day with more energy than we started with.

Biggest Obstacle
The biggest obstacle we faced was being stopped by police in Delaware, Ohio. Sunstrider wasn’t breaking any rules; the police officer wanted to ensure we were being safe and was admittly curious. We also get a lot of funny looks from people, but no problems with police.

Arrival Time
We arrived at our hotel in Portland, Indiana at 5 pm.

Car Performance
The car ran a little more inefficiently today at 38 wh/mi. This happened because, with the sun mid-day, we were able to drive over 40 mph for sustained periods. Additionally, we dropped from three motors to two motors (all-wheel to rear-wheel) in anticipation of flatter roads. However, there were a few climbs that also affected our efficiency. 

Despite the challenges, we made great progress, and we are excited to continue our journey! So far, we have completed 744 miles of our journey, giving us an average of 186 miles per day!

If you'd like to support us on our journey our Venmo is @thecannonballsun