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CORVALLIS (AP) — It hasn’t gotten any highway miles yet, but engineering students at Oregon State hope to race a 600-pound vehicle made of fiberglass, silicon wafers, carbon and titanium from Texas to Canada starting this month.

It’s called the Rain Dancer. It took three years and $50,000 to build, the first time Oregon State students have put together a solar car intended for the highway.

“Finally seeing it run ... I can’t describe it. It’s awesome,” said Hai-Yue Han.

The doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering took it for a spin in a parking lot last week. Moments later, he accelerated, silently and suddenly, drawing shouts from his teammates.

“Easy,” yelled Bob Boyer, a retired OSU professor and the machinist for the team. “This is like our maiden flight here.”

For the first time, Oregon State has entered the North American Solar Challenge, a 2,400-mile race from Dallas to Calgary that starts July 13.

The vehicle is powered by a 210-volt solar array that makes up the surface of the vehicle.

Oregon State’s solar car team has about 25 team members, 12 of whom will travel to the race. Only four will get to drive the car — or have to drive the car, as may be the case. The Rain Dancer has no air conditioning.

“Here comes the sauna,” said Leif Schneider, who recently graduated from OSU, as the team placed the solar array atop the hull, enclosing Han for his test run.

It takes several team members to lift the top of the car because the solar panels are so fragile. But the team has replacements in case a square breaks.

Han and fellow team captain Kathy Van Wormer are paying for the gasoline for the team to travel.

A recreational vehicle will haul Rain Dancer to Texas, accompanied by two support vehicles.

“A lot of teams will stay in hotels. We don’t have that luxury most of the time,” Van Wormer said.

Most nights, they’ll rough it in the RV and the homemade trailer that also will haul Rain Dancer.