The University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project is one of many teams competing to harness the power of the sun to drive wheels, with the premise that efficiency is critical in all aspects of a solar-powered car. Using ANSYS Mechanical, the team ensures that the car has appropriate material distribution for durability and safety, while keeping the car as light as possible through excess material removal. Students are working on a new multiperson car that will be introduced in late 2017. They employed ANSYS software in the early design stages to maximize efficiency for almost every component. Simulation gives the team confidence that the car will perform as expected so that they can focus on efficiency in all aspects of the design.