The first big test for UND's hydrogen-powered racecar has been a bit of a bust so far.

But Team UND aims to change all that today, after it repairs a faulty electrical component on the car's all-important fuel cell; they hope to roll into Grand Forks with a working car.

After running well in a qualifying race in Kansas City earlier, UND's car, known as SubZero IV H2, has spent much of the 2005 North American Solar Challenge race on the back of a trailer.

The 2,500-mile competition, this year, is running from Austin, Texas, to the finish line in Calgary, Alta.

Many of the cars in the race passed through Fargo and Grand Forks Thursday on their way to Winnipeg, the next staged starting point in the race.

The UND car pulled into Fargo on Thursday night. Scott Tolbert, team adviser, wants to be in Grand Forks by midday today.

UND got off to a shaky start last Sunday on the first leg of the race. The car had radiator problems between Austin and Weatherford, Texas - about 200 miles apart.

UND has had to tow its car most of the way since, tinkering as they go to get the car up and running again. Tolbert said the summer heat has taken its toll on the car's new fuel-cell technology.

"The fuel cell really hasn't been proven in extreme conditions," Tolbert said. "We're putting it to the test."

When it's been on the road, the car has been averaging 40 mph, he said.

The UND team hopes to make a pit stop at Cirrus Design on its way through Grand Forks today. The Grand Forks company, along with nearby LM Glasfiber, are major supporters of UND's Soceity for Energy Alternatives, which built SubZero IV.

UND's hydrogen-fuel-cell model is racing as an exhibit against a field made up entirely of solar-powered vehicles. Forty cars began the race; a number have withdrawn or been disqualified for exceeding the maximum speed limit of 65 mph.

At last check, the team from the University of Minnesota was leading the pack.