Group Business and Design Project: Eco-marathon car
This third-year group project consisted in the feasibility study, business analysis, and technical design of a vehicle to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon competition. This event gathers university teams from all over the world to race the most fuel-efficient road vehicles possible, with the best teams reaching efficiencies of >6000 mpg.
Past vehicles from the University of Bath.
The team
Part of the GBDP is a collective assessment, consisting of a business proposal, and a presentation showing the overall integration of all subsystems. Below are two posters summarising this, along with a diagram of the team structure.
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Individual report: steering system
The steering system is crucial to the efficiency of Eco-marathon cars: two-thirds of the external energy losses of the vehicles can be typically attributed to rolling resistance. It is therefore paramount to optimise the steering system geometry and performance, while keeping its weight to a minimum.
After an initial investigation into the possible steering mechanisms, the various parameters (wheel camber, toe-in, etc.) were decided upon using a decision matrix.
The components were then designed through various iterations, evaluated using FEA, and designed for manufacturing.
Finally, instructions were generated for manufacturing and assembly. The final report can be found below.
Report