Engineering Experience 4: Design a Small Solar Vehicle

Subject classification: this is a language-learning resource.

Goals

The central theme of the engineering Experience 4 - project is "Make things work". A team of students designs and builds a ‘Small Solar Vehicle’ (SSV), taking a limited budget into account. To do so, the team receives a solar panel and a DC-motor. The Vehicle is also subjected to a number of tests and its behaviour is to be predicted, first using simple calculations by hand; next using simulation software. In the end, every SSV will take part in a “solar-race”. Moreover, additional grades are to be gained in other categories. Next, the team does a critical analysis on the SSV and the existing Umicar, a competitive race car on solar energy that master students of Group T have built. The analysis is carried out in the fields: aerodynamics, dynamics, strength of materials, material knowledge, maths and energy. The team must also make a strategic marketing plan for a truthful miniature model of the "Umicar".