The Georgia Tech HyTech Racing team competed in the Formula Hybrid Electric competition this year on April 27-30 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. This was the first time Georgia Tech competed in the competition with a fully-functional, drivable electric car. Six students attended the competition – Michael Simon (team president), Nathan Cheek, Newton Chan, Jeff Ding, Mike Yan, and Victor Padron. Although the team is composed of students from many disciplines, all students at the competition were undergraduates or graduate students of the Woodruff School.
HyTech Racing brings together a group of diverse students dedicated to learning and practicing real-world engineering and project management skills through the year-round development of an electric vehicle. Members of HyTech Racing have a chance to learn about all components of vehicle design and production through research, CAD design, machining, component sourcing, manufacturing and testing. In addition, members develop first-hand engineering experience related to the increasingly important field of alternative energy through the implementation of an electric drivetrain. Due to the complexities related to building a safe, efficient, and viable vehicle, HyTech members work closely together and learn necessary skills related to communication, organization and time management.
The task of developing an electric or hybrid electric formula car is extremely challenging for a mostly-undergraduate team. In addition to the standard mechanical design (chassis, suspension, drivetrain, etc.) inherent in any car design, these students must design high-voltage electrical systems and deal with the numerous safety issues that naturally arise. Furthermore, the skills to develop high-voltage systems for vehicle applications are usually not taught at the undergraduate level and require a substantial amount of self-study on the part of HyTech students.
Because of the inherent danger in dealing with high-voltage systems in a prototype vehicle application, the Formula Hybrid competition is unique in that their inspection sequence is extremely thorough and rigorous. Of the 24 teams that arrived at the competition, only two were able to pass all of the electrical and mechanical inspections and compete in the driving events. Although HyTech did not pass all the required inspections, they placed 3rd of nine total teams in the all-electric vehicle category. The judges were extremely impressed with the car’s mechanical and electrical design as well as the team’s presentation on their collaborative design process. HyTech placed 3rd overall in the design review event, and 2nd overall in the presentation event.
HyTech plans to expand their efforts during the 2015-2016 school year and return to the Formula Hybrid competition in 2016. With a year to improve and refine their mechanical and electrical designs, the team is well-placed to be the frontrunner in next year’s Formula Hybrid competition.