WWU X PRIZE Team

For More Converage...

2010-07-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page for more pictures, videos, and updates on what the team is doing!

FINALS!!

2010-07-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Progressive Automotive Insurance Competition is down to just 12 teams and 15 cars! This should prove to be an exciting race!

And here they are: all the teams are nice and cozy in one building, it's a good thing we all get along!

This just in!

2010-06-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

We completed and passed all Efficiency Events and after penalties have officially achieved 82 MPGe! Without penalties we would have gotten 92 MPG!]

Well done team!

Dinner with the President

2010-06-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

The team was invited to dinner with the President of Western Washington University. Who knew the boys would clean up so well?

Baby Pictures

2010-06-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Before it was even born, a lot of ideas were thrown about on what Viking 45 should look like. Here are some of the concept drawings from students in our very own Industrial Design program.

V45 in one of it's earliest stages. Here we see students spending time over their winter break from school to assemble some of the lightweight carbon fiber panels to form the high strength monocoque chassis.

Blast from the Past

2010-03-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

A little history behind the VRI at WWU:

When Dr. Michael Seal, “Doc,” founded the Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) at Western Washington University in 1975, he had a simple goal: make cars that are lighter, faster, and more efficient in every way. Since then, over 40 vehicles have been designed and built by undergraduate students and faculty that do just that.

As one of the leading schools for automotive design in the region, the WWU VRI has a long track record of excellence both in competition and in the media. The VRI has been awarded the EPA's P3 Award for vehicle emissions, displayed a vehicle at NASA Ames research labs in California, been mentioned at the Los Angeles International Auto Show and published in Seattle Metropolitan, Automotive Magazine, and on Wired.com.

The WWU X PRIZE Team works along side the WWU Mini Baja Team, Formula FSAE Team, and Hybrid Bus Team within the VRI. Over the years, more than $7,000,000 has been raised by the VRI in grants from government, industry and private individuals to complete the various projects in the VRI.

What's in a Name?

2010-03-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Of all the car names out there right now, ours is probably one of the more interesting: Viking 45. But where did it come from? And what does it mean? It’s a simple answer, really.

The fierce Viking is the mascot for Western Washington University. Since its founding in 1979, each vehicle from WWU’s Vehicle Research Institute has been given the name “Viking” followed by the successive number.

To see past vehicles, visit the VRI site: http://vri.etec.wwu.edu/cars.html

Vroooom Vrooooom!

2010-01-31T18:25:00.000-08:00

After spending hours in the shop away from homework, loved ones, and beds, the team crossed one of their larges milestones of the project: getting Viking 45 running. Team members cheered as their creation emerged from the VRI into the wide-open world.

IT'S AAALLIIIIIVEEEE!!!!!

2010-01-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

Team members were all smiles today as Viking 45 set sailed on her maiden voyage.

After months of planning and construction, the WWU X PRIZE Team entry car, V45, successfully propelled herself out into the world (she even had fully functional brakes!). The trip was short but sweet and gave team members new hope and plenty of things to work on!

A link for the video will be up soon!

Germany's Auto Mobil visit the WWU X PRIZE Team and V40's make over

2010-01-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

Viking 40 receives a make-over to show off our sponsors and to thank all of those who helped make it possible.

The boys from Auto Mobil have come all the way from Germany to interview X PRIZE Teams across the country. While visiting us, Doc Seal (the founder of WWU's VRI) was more than happy to drive them around in Viking 7.

And once the rain let up, we took Viking 40 out for a spin to try out it's new skin.

New websites and updates

2009-12-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

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

Business Team Update

2009-06-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

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!

New WINDOW Magazine Article

2009-06-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

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!

New! New!

2009-04-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

The future V45:

Update on the V40's suspension from Ben Romeijn-Stout

2009-04-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

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

Tony Ahmann: Powertrain Lead

2009-03-31T13:56:00.001-07:00

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.

New!

2009-03-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Our team's official logo just approved:

A Business Team Perspective

2009-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

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

Welcome to the WWU X PRIZE Team Official Blog!

2009-02-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

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.