Zeus

Urban Concept Class

The Urban Concept Car is a more practical vehicle meant to bridge the gap between the prototype vehicle and the vehicles you see on the road today. With the advent of consumer level electric cars, we converted our Urban Concept to a battery electric vehicle in 2018. It only competes at the Shell Eco-Marathon. Teams are required to design the vehicle with a minimum of four wheels, larger stance, headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other practical considerations that the average city vehicle requires today.

Motor

Brushless DC Motor

Chassis

1" Nomex

Our current Urban Concept vehicle uses a carbon fibre-Nomex sandwich where 1" of lightweight Nomex honeycomb is sandwiched between layers of carbon fibre reinforced polymer on both sides. The wider width of the Urban Concept chassis allows for the chassis thickness to be reduced without compromising rigidity. The total weight of the chassis (including all components except the engine) is approximately 120 lbs.

Casper

Direct Drivetrain with Planetary Gearbox

Steering

Formula 1 Style

The Urban Concept steering system is based on Formula 1 style steering. The steering wheel operates like those found in regular cars, and switches for controls such as the starter motor, lights, and windshield motor are situated in the centre area of the wheel. Steering for this vehicle is operated through the front wheels.

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MARK XIV

Gas Prototype Class

The Prototype vehicle is a three wheeled, single-passenger vehicle meant to push the limits of fuel efficiency. It competes in the Shell Eco-Marathon, and SAE Supermileage competitions. This competition class has very few limits on design, allowing a number of creative solutions in order to achieve extremely high fuel mileage. With optimization of aerodynamics, weight, and rolling resistance, we maximize the performance of our heavily modified engine.

Engine

Briggs Stratton 206

The engine used in our Prototype vehicle is a Briggs & Stratton Junior206. This engine is standard for all teams in the SAE Supermileage Competition. This stock engine is 205cc’s with a maximum horsepower rating of 8 horsepower and a torque of 10 ft-lb. This year, a custom cylinder head has been designed to increase the compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 12:1. This will achieve a decreased displacement from 205cc to 68cc, resulting in a greater thermal efficiency.

Chassis

1.5" Nomex

Our current Prototype vehicle uses a carbon fibre - Nomex sandwich where 1.5" of lightweight Nomex honeycomb is sandwiched between carbon fibre and Kevlar reinforced polymer on both sides. The use of thicker Nomex than the Urban Concept is to compensate for the narrower chassis, which is reduced in size to minimize weight. The total weight of the chassis (including all components except the engine) is less than 80 lbs.

Drivetrain

Jackshaft

The newly innovated powertrain is configured as a two-stage, fixed-pulley reduction system. As the name implies, there are two pulley reductions from the engine to the wheel. The flexible drive of the powertrain has been switched from roller chains to carbon fiber timing belts to optimize weight, while maintaining a high strength. In addition, timing belts can deliver comparable efficiency to a roller chain system, however, there is less maintenance associated with timing belts. By designing our vehicle to run at a maximum speed of 50 km/hr, this system allows our engine to transmit power at its optimal speed.

Steering

Handlebars

The Prototype vehicle steering system is similar to that of a motorcycle, where there are two handlebars for steering, a throttle, and braking handlebars. The space inside for the driver is very limited and the driver drives lying down, so this design allows us to use the confined space efficiently. Steering for this vehicle is operated through the front wheels.

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Arion

Hydrogen Prototype Class

The Hydrogen Prototype vehicle is the newest addition to the team, as it was built and ran for the first time in the summer of 2021. Similar to the Gasoline Prototype vehicle, it is a three wheeled, single-passenger vehicle meant to push the limits of fuel efficiency. It competes in the Shell Eco-Marathon competition. This competition class has very few limits on design, allowing a number of creative solutions in order to achieve extremely high fuel mileage. With optimization of aerodynamics, weight, and rolling resistance, we maximize the performance of our drivetrain. This car is much lighter than our gasoline prototype vehicle weighing in at 30 kg

Fuel cell

PEM Fuel Cell

Partnering with a local fuel cell company Unilia and local machine shops, our team was able to develop a custom made Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell for our vehicle. This allows us to have greater control over the performance parameters of the fuel cell, and gives us the opportunity not only to learn about the inner workings of a fuel cell but also tailor the performance for efficiency. From custom machined flow field channels, to running at a low current density, to testing and optimizing fuel pressures, everything was designed to optimize the fuel efficiency of our new fuel cell prototype vehicle. Compared to fuel cells found in conventional vehicles, our fuel cell also has a much smaller footprint and runs with a lower current density in order to operate in a higher efficiency band rather than prioritizing power output

Drivetrain

Chain Drive

This powertrain system uses a two-stage, chain drive system. As the name implies, there are two chains reductions from the motor to the wheel. High quality roller chains are used to maximize efficiency in the energy transfer. By designing our vehicle to run at an average speed of 25 km/hr, this system allows our motor to operate at its optimum power output. The selection of the motor and the gear ratio are optimized for each track that we compete on and is designed to be easily interchangeable

Steering

Handlebars

The Hydrogen Prototype vehicle steering system is similiar to that of a bicycle. It uses two handlebars for steering, a thumb throttle to accelerate, and a rear wheel braking handlebar. Since the space inside for the driver is very limited and the driver drives lying down, this ligthweight, intuitive and easy to use design allows us to use the confined space efficiently while making it easier for the driver to control the vehicle. Steering for this vehicle is operated through the front wheels.

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