The Cal Poly Formula Hybrid Team took seventh place at the International Formula Hybrid Race Car competition, held May 1 to May 4, to show the resourcefulness of the team against multiple challenges.
The International Formula Hybrid Race Car competition, sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), takes place annually at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
The competition challenges students to “design, build and race high performance, plug-in hybrid vehicles,” according to its website.
Gregg Shultz, the team leader of Formula Hybrid and an electrical engineering senior, said building a hybrid car was a challenge. In fact, out of the 34 teams registered for the competition, only 21 attended with a car. Schultz said Cal Poly’s team had its own difficulties due to budget issues — the team only had $2,100 to build the car because most of the budget went to travel expenses.
Schultz said the Cal Poly chapters of IEEE, SAE and the Mechanical Engineering Student Fee Allocation Committee, which helped with traveling costs, allowed the team to attend the competition. Yet, when compared to other teams that had more than $50,000 to work with, Schultz said he felt the Cal Poly team performed very well.
“Being resourceful with our money was a very big challenge for our team this year,” Schultz said. “However, on a points per dollar basis, we performed absolutely phenomenally.”
Schultz said the car, which also earned fifth place in the motocross event, experienced difficulties even though it was the second to pass all technical inspections.
At one point of the competition, the cars had to race in the rain. Unfortunately, the car’s electrical boxes were not waterproof, causing rain water to get in and set off mandated safety devices on the vehicle, Schultz said.
Lynn Allemandi, an assistant team leader, artistic director of Formula Hybrid and a theatre arts junior, said the challenges and problems with the car this year will prompt a more efficient vehicle next year.
“With a project like this that is so complex, there are always problems, but it is a learning experience,” Allemandi said. “We grow as a team as our knowledge expands.”
Despite the difficulties, Schultz said he was proud of the vehicle. He said there are two types of hybrid systems: series, “in which the electric motor is the only thing touching the motor and the gasoline engine is just there as a generator to replenish the batteries,” and parallel, in which both the electrical engine and the gasoline engine are connected to the wheels. The Cal Poly vehicle used the series system, though many hybrid cars on the market use the parallel system.
Schultz said he hoped with competitions promoting innovation in hybrid technology, a more environmentally efficient car will be produced.
“The best thing is as battery technology advances, not only will electric vehicles become more prevalent, but alternative energy will become more prevalent because the main hurdle, the main challenge, is it’s intermittent,” Schultz said. “Personally, I see electric vehicles as a very big contender for transportation in the future, and also, making alternative energy much more viable.”
With gas prices rising, car companies are expanding their own hybrid technology, especially with car sales falling with the economy.
Dan Pierce, the environmental co
mmunications manager of Ford Motor Company, said “car sales have definitely struggled in the past few years,” but he said he felt that sales have been increasing.
He said “the industry estimates it will sell 13.1 million vehicles in the U.S., (which) is up from last year but down from the 15 million to 16 million sold in the early 2000s.” Yet, he also said hybrid sales have been increasing with gas prices rising.
Honda dealers have also seen a rise in hybrid sales.
Elise Kephart, the Internet sales director at the San Luis Obispo car dealership Sunset Honda, said Honda hybrids have been selling more often.
“I can tell you currently right now I am sold out of Hybrids both in the Insight and the Civic Hybrid,” Kephart said. “Even customers who have larger size SUVs are downsizing now that gas is so high.”
Pierce said with gas prices and more environmental concern, Ford as well as other car companies will focus on more sustainable technologies.
“By 2012, Ford will introduce five new electrified vehicles — two full battery electrics, a plug-in hybrid and two next generation hybrids,” Pierce said. “By 2020, Ford estimates that between 10 to 25 percent of its entire vehicle line up will be electrified in some way — hybrids, plug-in hybrids or full electrics.”
With a call for more sustainable resources and more fuel-efficient cars, Schultz said competitions like the International Formula Hybrid competition help future engineers become interested in technological advancements. Yet, Schultz said the most important and valuable part of the competition was the amount of teamwork and cooperation between not just the Cal Poly team, but all the teams registered.
“Teams are lending tools to each other, teams are giving parts to each other, teams are sharing their designs with each other,” Schultz said. “Honestly, we recognize that this is ultimately a learning experience, and we recognize we have things we can learn from others, and we also have an opportunity to help others. And that aspect of it is really, really cool.”