Erik Christiansen James B.

Francis College of Engineering Mechanical Engineering Student One University Ave Tel (978)4 57-6683 Lowell, MA 01854 Email. Erik_Christiansen@student.uml.edu

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

To: Jack Wilson; Dean, Francis College of Engineering From: Erik Christiansen; President, RiverHawk Racing Club Date: 03-Nov-2012 Re: Formula Hybrid Project Proposal _____________________________________________________________________ 1.0 Introduction RiverHawk Racing; the University of Massachusetts Lowells Formula SAE team has been working diligently to design a car to compete at the Formula Hybrid Competition in May of 2013. This report presents the design and budget which will make this a reality. We are reaching out to you for financial support of this project. A rendering of the 2013 car is seen below in figure 1.

Figure 1: 2013 RiverHawk Racing RHR-E The Formula-Hybrid competition is shaking the foundations of motorsports. Until recently, the only technology with the high energy density required to propel a race car were fossil fuels. With recent advancements in electric motor and battery technology, it has become possible to engineer an electric vehicle capable of competing with, and even out-competing their gasoline-powered counterparts. Moreover; they do so with little to no negative environmental impact. Electric vehicles have the potential to evolve motorsports. RiverHawk racing is determined to prove this. The gasoline powertrain of the 2010 car will be replaced with an appropriately-sized electric motor, powered by Lithium-ion battery technology, coupled to the appropriate

control systems. The resulting vehicle, dubbed the RHR-E will have performance comparable to the gasoline car, while providing zero carbon emissions and further positioning the University as an innovator in green energy solutions. Our team has engineered a component and control package sure to make UML a formidable contender in the Formula Hybrid competition. The components of this package are detailed herein. In undertaking this project, the team members are actively receiving the type of hands on engineering education that the Francis College of Engineering so embodies. Your financial support of the proposed design and of the teams participation in the Formula Hybrid competition will provide the most impressive consummation of Design-BuildTest philosophy. The completion of this retrofit will create a range of opportunities to the Riverhawk Racing team, the Francis College of Engineering, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell at large. Our success will further cement the reputation of the University of Massachusetts Lowell as a top-notch engineering school, attracting positive media coverage, and encouraging potential students to join the community of innovation that is UMass Lowell. 2.0 The Component and Control Package The proposed retrofit of the 2010 car encompasses drastic changes in three major subsets; Powertrain systems, chassis and suspension systems, and body elements. Components to be retained in their current state with little or no modification would be the frame, drivetrain, ergonomic, and safety components. There are four major components that make up the new powertrain system; the electric motor, motor controller, battery, and battery management system. After thorough research and consideration; the team has elected to employ the AC-35 motor from Hi Performance-EVs to motivate our car. This motor provides up to 55 horsepower and120 ft-lb of torque; which are truly impressive figures. A picture of the motor can been seen in figure 2, and a graph of power and torque vs. rpm is included as figure 3.

F Figure 2. AC35 motor and Curtis Controller

Figure 3. Performance graph of AC35 motor The team will employ a Curtis 1238-7601 high-voltage motor controller to modulate the power available to the AC-35. The motor and controller interact via an integrated speed sensor. The controller accepts a broad range of sensors due to its use of the automotiveindustry-standard CAN bus protocol. The team would have the ability to quickly alter the programming of the controller to provide reduced power delivery and increased efficiency. This ability would be utilized extensively in the endurance racing portion of the competition and driver training sessions. To provide the best possible power-to-weight ratio within the teams budget, Lithium-Ion battery chemistry was selected. The battery would consist of multiple banks consisting of Li-Ion cells coupled in series. The quality and performance of the cells correlates directly with the performance of the vehicle. The team has elected to use cells by A123 systems, a local enterprise located in Cambridge, MA. These cells are very similar to those used in the Chevy Volt. Their 20 amp-hour prismatic pouch cell is of the utmost quality and provides outstanding performance. Each 3.3 volt cell provides 19.7 amp-hours, is able to continuously discharge 600 amperes and weighs only 1.1 pounds. Our battery would consist of 84 cells, weighing 92.4 pounds total. Charging the car would be performed with an Elcon PFC4000 charger. This charger is very efficient (93%) and is well suited for our 91V battery configuration. We expect a full recharge of the 5.4 kWh battery to take just one hour and twenty minutes using the Elcon charger. The relatively low battery weight, and reasonable recharge time are evidence to RiverHawk Racings utilization of the best technology to make electric vehicles more viable. Each individual battery cell would be monitored by the battery management system to protect against over- and under-charging, and overheating. Effectively monitoring the cells is of paramount importance in creating a quality electric vehicle. Battery Cell management would be accomplished using a highly-advanced Orion battery management system (BMS). This system is able to display real-time data, and is fully programmable.
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This unit also utilizes CAN bus communication. This allows the motor controller and BMS to communicate directly; delivering the most effective power output for the motor. The integration and interaction of control systems is a current goal in the automotive industry. Our research, development, and integration of control systems will demonstrate how UMass Lowell engineering students are at the forefront of emerging technologies. Systems integration will be a major focus of the team in the coming years. The move to electric vehicle technology addresses two areas of our societies energy problem head-on; carbon emissions, and efficiency. As the motor does not combust any fuel to drive the car, those emissions are directly eliminated. Though electricity may be derived from fossil-fuel resources (coal power plant, etc.), our motors excellent efficiency (93%) makes excellent use of that power. In the name of increasing efficiency, this motor-controller package enables regenerative braking; recovering the kinetic energy lost in decelerating the vehicle and using it to drive the motor as generator, converting it to electric energy which would then provided back to the battery. These increased efficiencies are making electric-vehicle technology more viable as a means of replacing fossil fuels for transportation. Alongside our sustainable energy efforts, RiverHawk Racing will secure our schools position as a leader in Green energy.

2.3 Chassis and Suspension The chassis team has proposed appropriate changes to the chassis and suspension of the car. Most of the chassis would be remain in its current form. Mild revisions would be made to accommodate the placement and mounting of new components. Significant revisions would be made to the vehicles suspension system to eliminate current issues and provide superior handling dynamics. 2.4 Body The team recognizes the value of an appealing body for marketing and public relations purposes. The design includes two air-scoops on the side of the car to capture cool ambient air for power-train cooling purposes. The body design is shown in Figure 1. The body will be constructed from fiberglass polymer, with a white, high-gloss gel coat. Graphics applied to the car will be of 3 mil printed vinyl. Construction would occur over a foam plug. Proudly displaying Rowdy the RiverHawk on the nose of the car, the vehicle will be a rolling testament to our school pride. Our goal is to produce the most visually appealing car possible, as the car is so often used to attract attention; be it at open-houses, on campus events, or trade shows, this car will never fail to impress.

3.0 Budget and Return on Investment

Table 1 outlines the proposed budget for the project. The financial commitment to this project cannot and has not been taken lightly. Faced with the expense of this project, we have realized the level of commitment necessary to the project and internalized it. Table 1. 2013 Formula Hybrid Budget 2010 Formula SAE chassis AC 35 electric motor and Curtis 1238 controller (90) A123 20ah Li-Ion Battery cells Curtis Controller Programming Tools Orion Battery Management System Elcon PFC4000 Battery Charger Electric Raw Materials Body Raw Materials Suspension Raw Materials Chassis Raw Materials Miscellaneous Parts and Expenses 2013 Formula Hybrid Registration (due 12/17/12) Total

$4100 $6300 $900 $1300 $1500 $1000 $1500 $500 $500 $2000 $1550 $21150

Raising the money necessary to accomplish our goal of retrofitting the car and competing in 2013 is perhaps as much of a challenge to the team as is the engineering of the vehicle. We are approaching this challenge with great resolve; with your support of this project we will compete in May of 2013. We will overcome the challenges we face and join the ranks of engineering excellence as Formula Hybrid 2013 competitors. The University can help us immensely in achieving this goal. We would like to formally appeal for funding for this project. We ask that the college considers absorbing the majority of the cost of the project. We feel secure in making this request because of the contributions the team and project has made and will make to the school. As mentioned previously, this project is actively developing the skills and qualities of the young engineers participating. The engineering community agrees that Formula SAE participation is one of the most beneficial pursuits for undergraduates; developing them into the finest quality young engineers. Our success will mark an exceptional beginning to our engineering careers, and will make the greatest reflection of the quality of the engineering college of UMass Lowell.

There is a great opportunity for positive media exposure presented to the school by virtue of our participation in this competition. We will wear the prestige of our success proudly at public-relations events both on- and off-campus. With your support, we will be proud to allow use of the team and car for fundraising and industry-relations affairs. We will continue to attract and welcome underclassmen, which may result in a slightly increased retention rate. This endeavor and the resulting exposure, coupled with our status as the 19th-ranked research school by Times Higher education, will help to increase the amount of incoming students seeking education on the forefront of engineering technology. We are convinced by the potential rewards of SAE competition to commit ourselves to this project and see it through to completion. We ask the University of Massachusetts Lowell, specifically the Francis College of Engineering, to realize these rewards and opportunities, and support our cause in any mode and with all the means that it can afford to.