Engineering Experience 4: Design a Small Solar Vehicle

Goals
The central theme of the engineering Experience 4 - project is "Make things work". A team of students designs and builds a ‘Small Solar Vehicle’ (SSV), taking a limited budget into account. To do so, the team receives a solar panel and a DC-motor. The Vehicle is also subjected to a number of tests and its behaviour is to be predicted, first using simple calculations by hand; next using simulation software. In the end, every SSV will take part in a “solar-race”. Moreover, additional grades are to be gained in other categories. Next, the team does a critical analysis on the SSV and the existing Umicar, a competitive race car on solar energy that master students of Group T have built. The analysis is carried out in the fields: aerodynamics, dynamics, strength of materials, material knowledge, maths and energy. The team must also make a strategic marketing plan for a truthful miniature model of the "Umicar".

Pictures

 * some images of the race (May 2011).
 * beauty and innovation contest
 * some images of the race (May 2013).

Readings and other resources

 * The original tour for newcomers
 * How to edit a page
 * Dutch version: Engineering Experience 4: Ontwerp van een miniatuur zonnewagen

Lessons

 * Seminar 1: Introduction
 * Seminar 2: DC-motor and solar panel
 * Seminar 3: gear ratio and race strategy
 * Seminar 2: Matlab-Simulink
 * Seminar 2: Fablab

Groups 2014

 * / 2014: Team AM7 /
 * / 2014: Team AM8 /
 * / 2014: Team PM12 /
 * / 2014: Team PM13 /
 * / 2014: Team PM14 /

Groups 2013

 * / 2013: Team PM19 /
 * / 2013: Team PM20 /
 * / 2013: Team PM21 /
 * / 2013: Team AM1 /
 * / 2013: Team AM2 /
 * / 2013: Team PM18 /
 * / 2013: Team PM8 /

Groups 2012

 * / 2012: Team PM8 /
 * / 2012: Team PM9 /
 * / 2012: Team PM10 /
 * / 2012: Team PM11 /
 * / 2012: Team PM12 /
 * / 2012: Team PM13 /
 * / 2012: Team PM14 /
 * / 2012: Team PM7 /

Groups 2011

 * /Team Borasol (team PM2) /
 * / Team HelioDrive (team PM4) /
 * Team PM6 (nl)
 * / Team PM8 /
 * / Team PM9 /
 * / Team PM10 /
 * / Team PM11 /
 * / Team PM12 /
 * / Team phoenix (team 11) /