05-09-94 Students Build Electric Race Car

ENGINEERING STUDENTS DESIGNING, BUILDING, RACING ELECTRIC CAR

     COLUMBUS -- Racing fever has hit the College of Engineering
at The Ohio State University.  Students are designing and
building an electric car to enter in a race of the fastest
electric vehicles ever.

     Thirty mechanical and electrical engineering students are
taking part in this innovative design project that will culminate
in the Cleveland Electric Formula Classic on Saturday, July 9, as
part of the Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland racing weekend.

     Ohio State is one of 12 universities competing in the
intercollegiate race, which debuts this summer and is sponsored
by Centerior Electric of Cleveland.

     Each university will field an entry whose chassis, tires,
suspension and body are identical, but whose electric drives,
battery packs and drive trains are student designed.  Individual
schools will select and install their own motors and batteries.

     The single-seat, open wheel electric cars resemble their
sleek Indy 500 counterparts and are designed for speeds of well
over 100 miles per hour.  The race course measures 50 kilometers
-- about 31 miles -- and includes a battery exchange pit stop.

     According to Giorgio Rizzoni, assistant professor of
mechanical engineering and head of the project, the scarlet and
gray entry could easily lead the pack come race day.  One reason
for this: Indy Light national champion and Ohio State student
Bryan Herta will be at the wheel.

     Race rules require that each car be driven by a professional
race car driver.

     "The driver is a big deal," said Rizzoni. "And Herta isn't
just a professional driver, but someone who's used to winning."
Last year, in fact, he won the Indy Light Championship and plans
to compete in the Indianapolis 500 this year.

     Indy Light race cars are lighter, less costly versions of
Indy 500 formula race cars.

     The Ohio State student design teams are putting together a
car they hope will be capable of winning.  Because the emphasis
is on utilizing existing technologies (rather than creating new
ones), the design teams are evaluating the technical performance,
durability, and cost of available components and subsystems.

     For instance, one group of students has devised a test
evaluating the performance of different batteries to see how each
would perform under conditions similar to those of the race.

     Others have focused their efforts on finding and purchasing
a high performance motor.  Senior electrical engineering student
Ron Joffe heads up the group in charge of motor selection.
Besides expanding his knowledge of electric motors through the
project, he has also gained valuable experience and contacts.

     "Here you get to deal with the hands-on aspect of
engineering, not just theory.  Plus, after spending 20 hours a
week on the phone doing research about the motor, I've made a lot
of contacts in the industry."

     Added Chris Kipfer, a senior in mechanical engineering, "The
hands-on experience is really valuable.  You can sit and read a
book that tells you how to make things go, but it doesn't really
register until you actually try it."

     Kipfer and others also emphasized the value of their work in
terms of the development of electric cars -- an industry with a
bright future, according to Rizzoni.  For instance, California
(the largest vehicle market in the country) has required that
major car manufacturers have zero-emission models available in
the state by 1998.

     "Our work will definitely play a role in the advancement of
electric car development," Rizzoni said.

     "The students have learned a lot about the field of electric
vehicles, motors, and batteries, which brings them one step
closer to being ready to do actual product and design work in the
workforce.  I wouldn't be surprised if they take jobs in the
automotive industry and end up working with electric vehicles."

     A win for the university also means a $5,000 scholarship
grant as well as national exposure.  "Electric vehicles are a
field that attract national attention.  Winning the race could
really increase the visibility of Ohio State's College of
Engineering and of the university in general," Rizzoni said.

     Current sponsors of the project, for which the estimated
cost is $100,000, are Ohio State's Engineering Experiment
Station, College of Engineering, Center for Automotive Research,
and departments of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical
Engineering.  Corporate sponsors include Centerior Electric and
Reliance Electric.  Project leaders are hoping to obtain
additional corporate sponsorship.

     Other universities competing in the race include Notre Dame,
Bowling Green State,, Ohio University, Wright State, West
Virginia, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Arizona State, Northern
Arizona, Polytechnic University (Long Island), Case Western
Reserve, and Oklahoma.
                                #

Contact: Giorgio Rizzoni, (614) 292-3331

For more information about the race, contact Todd Schneider at   
Centerior Electric, (216) 447-3200

Written by Marci McNaghten, (614) 292-8308

Photos Available -- call Marci McNaghten, (614) 292-8308.


[Submitted by: GERSTNER  (gerstner@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Mon, 09 May 1994 11:36:23 -0500 (EST)]
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