Hello everyone!
The team has been working away on both the vehicles. Since our last post:
There are now officially one of 43 teams in the race for $10 million dollars, of which, only 2 are universities.
We are currently in the final stages of assembling Viking 45 into a rolling chassis as well as mounting the hybrid drivetrain in the engine bay, so we are looking forward to seeing it rolling around the shop soon!
We are beginning dynamic testing on Viking 40's drivetrain using our in house chassis dynamometer and we will have video up as soon as we can.
Also, we have a few more sites for you to check out more updates and pictures on how the team is doing:
On Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WWU-X-Prize-Team/193528425235?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55321532151&ref=ts
On Twitter:
http://twitter.com/WWUXPRIZETEAM
And if you haven't seen our official site yet, be sure to check it out at:
http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/xprize/xprize.html
December 6, 2009
June 17, 2009
Business Team Update
After countless hours, meetings, pizza and Sour Patch Kids, the business team has completed the official business plan and successfully submitted it to the X Prize Judges. Fingers crossed that they will not need to send it back to us for revision!
Good work to all who helped!
Good work to all who helped!
New WINDOW Magazine Article
Click HERE to view WINDOW Magazine's article about the WWU X Prize Team and see pictures of the team at work on the Viking 40!
April 8, 2009
Update on the V40's suspension from Ben Romeijn-Stout
Hi all this is Ben, I’m the Viking X-Prize team suspension and un-sprung mass sub team lead, I know it’s a convoluted title but someone has to do it. A little about myself; well I’m the tall one in the pictures, I enjoy playing sports, video games, board games, reading a good book and generally hanging out with friends. I am a senior and will be graduating at the end of the spring quarter after which I hope to work on the design and development of Electric Vehicles.
Now for an update on the car’s suspension; we have been working on a design for a new lightweight composite suspension which will dramatically decrease the un-sprung mass on the vehicle improving both ride quality and handling. Since our entire vehicle is very low mass the mass of the wheels, tires and suspension has more effect on the ride quality and handling than it would on a heavier car. The suspension design is essentially done and a few test parts have already been made, this quarter we will be working on fabrication of the molds to build the parts as well as making the parts themselves. By the end of the quarter I hope to have several sets of suspension tested and ready for use on a driving vehicle.
That’s all for now
-Ben Romeijn-Stout
Now for an update on the car’s suspension; we have been working on a design for a new lightweight composite suspension which will dramatically decrease the un-sprung mass on the vehicle improving both ride quality and handling. Since our entire vehicle is very low mass the mass of the wheels, tires and suspension has more effect on the ride quality and handling than it would on a heavier car. The suspension design is essentially done and a few test parts have already been made, this quarter we will be working on fabrication of the molds to build the parts as well as making the parts themselves. By the end of the quarter I hope to have several sets of suspension tested and ready for use on a driving vehicle.
That’s all for now
-Ben Romeijn-Stout
March 31, 2009
Tony Ahmann: Powertrain Lead
I am an electronics student and the powertrain lead for the X Prize team. That there sums up the opportunities this team has to offer. I know nothing about vehicle aerodynamics, on road performance, or carbon fiber. I drive an old jeep wrangler. The city bus has a better ride and out runs me in the quarter mile. I use two tools for my jeep, hammer and sawzaw, neither of which are good for carbon fiber.
When I joined the team, it became apparent rather quickly that I was going to be working with the hybrid system. The Vehicle Design students only have a basic knowledge of electronics to work on current vehicles. At least in my major I get to blow up a few components and possibly shock myself before I go out into the field.
There are many great attributes to the X Prize team. One is the experience. I am part of an international competition to build a realizable 100 mile per gallon vehicle. Not only does it have to meet all Department of Transportation standards, it have to marketable with a successful business plan. I have to communicate with multiple team leads, the student workers, the general public, and eventually competition judges. And this paragraph is what everyone on the team gets to say at their post graduate interview.
One of the greatest facts is who we are in this competition. When it is looked at, we are just some college in the northwest with student workers. We are not some multimillion dollar company with experienced professional engineers being paid to build this. When we are out promoting the team and get asked “How do you feel about your chances in the competition?” The answer is: we are feeling great.
When I joined the team, it became apparent rather quickly that I was going to be working with the hybrid system. The Vehicle Design students only have a basic knowledge of electronics to work on current vehicles. At least in my major I get to blow up a few components and possibly shock myself before I go out into the field.
There are many great attributes to the X Prize team. One is the experience. I am part of an international competition to build a realizable 100 mile per gallon vehicle. Not only does it have to meet all Department of Transportation standards, it have to marketable with a successful business plan. I have to communicate with multiple team leads, the student workers, the general public, and eventually competition judges. And this paragraph is what everyone on the team gets to say at their post graduate interview.
One of the greatest facts is who we are in this competition. When it is looked at, we are just some college in the northwest with student workers. We are not some multimillion dollar company with experienced professional engineers being paid to build this. When we are out promoting the team and get asked “How do you feel about your chances in the competition?” The answer is: we are feeling great.
March 10, 2009
February 23, 2009
A Business Team Perspective
I am part of the X-Prize business team and it is amazing that even though everyone is overloaded with work and other school projects, there is a significant amount of quality work being developed. There have been times when our progress slows down (Winter break), but overall we just keep chugging along.
This a great experience because it is challenging to develop a business plan for a product that is still evolving. Each aspect relies on other aspects in a continuous circle with countless manufacturing details to be addressed, many options for an organizational structure, and a very specific customer base that must be targeted. On top of that we need specific costs for everything. But the fact is the without the quality work from the VRI team, this project would not even exist. It is amazing that students from our school can develop a professional vehicle that will compete internationally against some of the greatest engineers in the world.
-Paul Iverson, Business Team
This a great experience because it is challenging to develop a business plan for a product that is still evolving. Each aspect relies on other aspects in a continuous circle with countless manufacturing details to be addressed, many options for an organizational structure, and a very specific customer base that must be targeted. On top of that we need specific costs for everything. But the fact is the without the quality work from the VRI team, this project would not even exist. It is amazing that students from our school can develop a professional vehicle that will compete internationally against some of the greatest engineers in the world.
-Paul Iverson, Business Team
February 3, 2009
Welcome to the WWU X PRIZE Team Official Blog!
This blog is a space for members of the team to share new information, stories, experiences and updates to anyone and everyone interested in what we are doing.
Who we are:
The WWU X PRIZE team has developed a prototype that can use a variety of powertrain options to meet regional market objectives for fuel efficiency, cost and reduced emissions. The vehicle structure uses composite materials to form large, lightweight structures to meet safety and weight targets while reducing manufacturing costs. A unique production process enables the team to produce parts with reduced cycle times. Front, side and roll-over protection is provided by large energy absorbing crumple zones and a strong safety cell for passengers.
The WWU X PRIZE team is comprised of three separate teams. The vehicle team, based in the VRI, consists of engineering students from vehicle design, plastics, composites, and manufacturing specializations. These students are doing all the engineering, manufacturing, and testing of vehicle related portions of this project. The business team, which is comprised mainly of students from the business management department, is writing the professional business and marketing plans. The Marketing/Public Relations/Fundraising team is comprised of students from the communication and journalism departments. They work with the business team on the development of the marketing plan as well as the pubic relations and fundraising campaigns.
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