2019 Fall Term Retrospective
December 22 2019
We’re rapidly approaching 2020 and the new decade!
That also means we’re halfway through our competition build cycle as the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas is peeking over the horizon. We ship out near the beginning of March which means we won’t have much time to integrate and test our full assembly before the competition.
Before we get into a technical breakdown of this past term, I wanted t highlight some of the great events we’ve participated in over the past term.
This includes UBC’s Imagine Day which showcased all the best parts of the university. All the engineering design teams got to showcase their awesome work and I was really excited talking with all the enthusiastic first years who looked to get more technical or hands-on experience.
The second event was the Energy Disruptors Unite Conference where we exhibited our Battery Electric Urban Concept and talked with others passionate about sustainability and how transportation is a critical aspect of achieving proper environmental stewardship.
The third event was the SAEBC Student Night which took place at BCIT this year. We got to meet the fine folks at the BCIT Baja team and the SFU Formula Electric team, both of whom shared some exciting projects. We got to talk with some of the other people and resources at SAEBC and were thrilled to know we have this support network behind us.
The final event was the UBC Applied Science / Engineering Open House. We got to showcase our projects to high school students and the general public, something we think is critical to get people engaged in STEM and manufacturing a better future.
On our technical side, our project leads have been hard at work to redesign some of the key components related to the handling and efficiency of our competition vehicles, as well as testing new processes, and designing components for our new fuel cell vehicle.
Our electrical division has been hard at work fabricating our back-up DC motor controller for BE Urban Concept, our first prototype of our more robust CANBUS communication, and the tuning our brushless starter motor for our ICE Prototype.
Our powertrain division has been developing new models to spec a more optimal motor for our BE Urban Concept and our FC Prototype. They’ve also finished designs for custom cam shaft lobes and a new connecting rod to make our engine just that more efficient.
Our vehicle mechanics division has been hard at work refining our infusion process for composite fabrication, developing a new hydraulic-foot-actuated brake system for the ICE and FC Prototype, and new steering system for our Prototype vehicles. We’ve also got some new spiffy windshields, courtesy of Plastec!
With our progress so far, we’re looking to amp up our production in the new year! We aim to make the future at the next Shell Eco-Marathon Americas!