Tigergen Blog

December 2011 Monthly Newsletter

2011-12-09 10:47:23

The Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team has been working hard building TigerGen III. Each department has taken their part of the car and is working toward building a very fuel efficient car for the race this coming spring. Working forward, our team goal is to have a rolling chassis by end of Christmas break.
The team has also been busy with showing the car at public events! We drove in the Mizzou Homecoming Parade on October 15th, where an estimated 40,000 people were in attendance. We also showcased the car at the MU South Farm Showcase, to prospective high school students that are taking tours of the College of Engineering, and attended the Missouri Livestock Symposium on December 3rd, which was held in Kirksville, MO.
While working hard on the car, raising funds has been challenging for the team. We want to offer a big thank you to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy for donating $5,000 for TigerGen III. This money will support the purchase of one of our fuel cells. It is the support from our sponsors that really make this team possible!
The Hydrogen Car Team would like to thank you for your continued support. If you are not a current sponsor and are interested in becoming part of the team through a sponsorship, please e-mail me at president@mizzouhydrogen.org. –Victoria Hezel, President

Mechanical parts are coming in from all over to build the TIgergen III. We thank Advanced Pattern Works and Kay's Engineering for their gracious donations of parts and labor to the team. The body plug is finished and the team will be starting the mold process soon. Mechanical suspension components to get the car rolling on wheels are being purchased and added to the vehicle. The goal of putting Tigergen III on wheels is fast approaching but it proves promising with the many new mechanical members on the team. The next month will be an enormous push for mechanicals to reach this goal but I am confident with teamwork and determination we can meet this goal. –Nathan Park, Head Mechanical

The Chemical Design of the car is finally being completely fleshed out and as building of the car continues, the chemical department has been able to plan better for the building of the fuel system, including the placement of fuel cells and important chemical carrying components, among other items. The fuel cell has been tested numerous times as the team gathers data in preparation for implementation of the system. As for Tigergen II, it was up and running for the Homecoming Parade thanks to a rapid response from Swagelok in getting a high pressure braided hose to us just in time to fix the car. This time is key for the department, for the parts are all being ordered at the time of writing and money is going to be incredibly tight, as the parts necessary to accurately monitor and protect the flow of hydrogen to the fuel cells become more and more numerous and expensive. Building for the flow system should be able to commence around the Winter break, so that the team can finally focus on testing for the system. –Chad Able, Head Chemical

The Electrical Group is still making progress with the systems needed for TGIII. Currently, we are working writing the software that will run on our embedded computer, while making plans for the sensors and controllers that will feed it data about the car. One major change to this setup has been the decision to forgo using the serial data that the fuel cell provides. The reason for this being that the fuel cells don't provide a wide enough range of useful data that justifies reverse engineering the signals to work with our system. We will just be monitoring a few of those data points ourselves using our own sensors so we know exactly what to expect as far as how to process the data. On the high power side of things, a motor controller that meets our specifications has been chosen, and we are still working out exactly what we will need in terms of a ultra-capacitor bank, and DCDC converter for the drive train.-Alex Devilbiss, Head Electrical

October 2011 Monthly Newsletter

2011-10-18 13:22:04

The Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team is back in full swing with the start of a brand new school year. With a big win in the 2011 Shell Eco-Marathon, the team is more eager than ever to build TigerGen III, which we will be taking to Houston, TX once again to race in the 2012 Shell Eco-Marathon which is set for March 29 – April 1.
Our third generation vehicle, TigerGen III, has had some major upgrades from TigerGen II. The car has been designed to look more like a sports car, and has a more spacious design so even our tallest members of the team can fit in to take a spin around the block.
With the start of a new semester we also begin recruitment. The team has participated in college of engineering events as it has in the past in order to recruit more engineers. We also had our own recruitment event two weeks ago where we spoke to over 80 eager students about our team and the opportunities that it brings. Since then we have had meetings and workdays so they can jump right in with some hands-on work. It looks like it will be an exciting semester for our team!
The Hydrogen Car Team would like to thank you for your continued support. If you are not a current sponsor and are interested in becoming part of the team through a sponsorship, please e-mail me at president@mizzouhydrogen.org. –Victoria Hezel, President

The mechanicals are pushing full throttle this semester with the beginning of the build process for the TigerGen III. Parts have been coming in from a number of companies through the summer. Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team thanks the work of VersaTech, John at Advanced Pattern Works, Darrell at Simon Steel, and Ed Kays of Kays Engineering. Without the support of these companies, we could not be a successful team. The goal for the semester is to have a full suspension car on wheels by the holiday break. The team is currently laying up the rib structure for the chassis this weekend and starting on smaller projects to be ready the mechanical systems integration. This years design includes a rear swing arm suspension with the pivot points concentric to the motor shaft; this reduces play in the chain and eliminates the need for a tensioner. Another key modification is a flat-bottom chassis; this allows us to build both the bottom half and top half side by side. Stay posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mizzouhydrogen, for pictures of the build. - Nathan Park, Head Mechanical

The Chemical department is going to be in high gear following the construction of the car, and we’ve bolstered our ranks with at least fifteen new members to meet that
demand. The new fuel system for TigerGen III is going to be the safest and most efficient yet, with two high efficiency lightweight fuel cells and an added purge stream for emergency situations. We’ll be working closely with our Mechanical department to make sure that the fuel system will be laid out in the best way possible, with adequate space for every component and all safety considerations taken into account. We’ve kept Airgas as our supplier for hydrogen and Horizon has aided us with their fuel cell technology so that we can build the best car possible. The team has a lot to be proud of this year with this new car and everyone has been great with helping out. -Chad Able, Head Chemical

The electrical team has been working hard right out of the gate this semester designing the many electrical systems needed for TGIII. So far we have been working on designing a plethora of ambitious projects, mainly the telemetry system. The telemetry system is responsible for taking, and interpreting data gleaned from multiple sources and displaying it to the driver on a seven inch touch screen. We are currently working on implementing a FriendlyARM Mini2440 embedded device to accomplish this. While this has been a challenge, it has also been quite fun for all of us. I am sure that we are on the track to completing the necessary designs within the coming months for a safe and efficient electrical system to beat out the competition. -Alex Devilbiss, Head Electrical Engineer

TigerGen I Up for Auction

2011-09-08 16:41:31

Our first generation car, TigerGen I is up for auction! Check it out here: http://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=1855&acctid=1992#.TmkdmGqd6Ls

If you know anyone who is interested, let them know about the link!!

Shell Eco-Marathon Day 5

2011-04-19 17:40:24

Our last day was another success. We were again able to complete all three runs successfully. The day started with our first run at 11 where we were able to get 13.8 mi/kWh, which was a slight increase over the previous two runs. Then after finishing a quick lunch we were once again on the track to complete run number 5 where we were able to bump up our efficiency to 14.2 mi/kWh which equates to approximately 490 MPG equivalent to gasoline. For our final run, Andy went behind the wheel and tried to push the car to the max where it again achieved around 13 mi/kWh. Overall this year was a huge success and major stepping stone for our team since we were able to make all 6 possible runs without any major set backs.

After cleaning up and starting to pack up our pit, the team headed to the Awards Dinner. As the dinner ended the President of Shell Wind Energy Division went on stage to present the On and Off Track Awards. During the event, we received two team awards: Best Team Spirit (thanks to our cheers and the Tiger tail we had on the car again this year) and First Place for the Urban Concept Fuel Cell Division. It took a lot of time and effort of those that went on the race along with those that could not attend to get the team to this point and we must extend thanks to everyone that has worked on the car and those that have supported us. We must also thank our Sponsors since building the car would not be possible without their support.

After the Awards Ceremony, the team once again headed across to Discovery Green to take a few pictures with our Awards with the car and team. Then after a quick team meeting where we took time to discuss improvements for next year and some of the positives of this trip we finished packing and started the drive back towards Columbia.

Remember to look at the videos and pictures posted from our trip to see more about each day.

Shell Eco-Marathon 2011 Day 4

2011-04-17 09:10:10

Today was a warm day in Houston, beautiful to be around Discovery Green, and a perfect day to race. The day began with the opening ceremonies for the Shell Eco-Marathon on Discovery green where we heard Bruce Culpepper (Vice-President of Human Resources for Shell), Dr. Flowers (C-STEM Founder), and Mayor Parker (Houston Mayor) speak words of encouragement for all of those competing in the 2011 Shell Eco-Marathon. After a few team pictures the team returned to the pit to quickly finish up the last of technical inspection so we could get out on the track for the first run of the weekend.

After passing technical inspection we were ready to hit the track and it was a perfect day. The first run started shortly after 11 and went smoothly. We easily completed the run achieving 11 miles/kilowatt hours (mi/kWh). The car had no major issues handling the course and we were able to pass multiple cars. Several teams had issues getting a qualifying run during this session and broke down around the track or had not passed technical inspection yet meaning there were very few cars out on the track at any given time. We then took the car back inside to fix a few minor items and talk about ways to improve our strategy to increase out mi/kWh value.

Later in the afternoon around 3, we once again went out to try another race and again we were able to complete a valid run. However, this time we were able to get 13 mi/kWh which equates to about 445 MPG equivalent to Gasoline. Through the simple optimizations of driving strategy we were able to increase the efficiency of the fuel cell. While we were able to get a valid run we hit a few more road bumps on this run than the first one so some time in the pit working on the car was required.

After creating a solution to the problem we were then able to return to the track and race again for the 6:00 run. The solution seemed to work well and the fuel cell remained on for the entire duration of the race. This run also resulted in 13 mi/kWh so more optimization was required afterwards to find ways we can have a better result tomorrow. During the last two runs of the day several more teams were making their way out onto the track and working on completing valid runs.

The remainder of the evening was spent in a couple of different ways after eating dinner as a team. Everyone was working together to continue brainstorming ways to increase our efficiency and working on the car. Once the work was done it was time for some well-earned relaxation.

Look at the videos to see our day and watch for more information to come each day.

Shell Eco-Marathon

2011-04-15 19:24:21

Shortly after receiving our Hydrogen Sensor from UPS Wednesday morning, the team headed off to Houston for the Shell Eco-Marathon with Tigergen II. After another year of testing, optimization, and making some improvements we are much better prepared to compete this year.
About 3 hours after leaving from Mizzou, we had some minor problems with the diesel. We pulled off in El Dorado, Kansas and after a few hours of being stalled, we fixed our issues and were back on the road. We finally made it to Oklahoma City to spend the night around 11. Even with the 3-hour delay we were not too far behind schedule.

Thanks to starting out early and having very few delays, we finally arrived in Houston at 3:00 on Thursday. Upon arrival, we unloaded the trailer and settled in our camping area and pit before starting technical inspection. We were able to get through about half of the technical inspections including weighing the car (353 pounds), brake testing, structural testing, and preliminary fueling testing. Most of the inspections went smoothly but found a few leaks in the fueling system. We then spent the rest of the evening correcting the issues found.

Friday morning was again spent in technical inspection where we able to pass the fueling station. Jennifer and Tori also completed the slalom and egress testing to qualify for driving. There were a few electrical issues that needed to be resolved which our Electricals, Alex, Alex, and Tim, have been working on diligently all day. Unfortunately, we were not able to get any practice runs in today but hopefully we will be ready to go first thing tomorrow.

Look at the videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/MizzouHydrogen or http://www.facebook.com/mizzouhydrogen) to see our day and watch for more information to come each day.

March Newsletter

2011-03-14 11:45:50

The team has been out in the community lately educating the public in a number of different public events. Many of the events were related to engineers’ week which is celebrated nationally during the third week of February. We were represented at E-week in KC and Science Day at St. Clair High Elementary. The team also had the honor of showing-off our car again this year for engineers’ week festivities at the St. Louis Science Center. In the lab lately our objective has been testing. We have performed a number of various tests including doing some runs on a dynamometer both before and after installing the gearing. So far tests with the gearing have been promising and it may alleviate problems we were having with the motor. We will do more testing including some dry runs of outdoor conditions similar to what will be at the race. We are almost a month away from our race in the 2011 Shell Eco-Marathon in downtown Houston. We have our members who will be attending this year decided on and preparing for what lies ahead. Thank you to all our sponsors that believe in our team and the work we do here at the University of Missouri. If you are not a sponsor and are interested in becoming one, please send me an email at president@mizzouhydrogen.org - Jon Lavallee, President

May Newsletter

2010-05-05 19:31:26

The end of the school year begins a new chapter in the hydrogen car team saga. Our newly elected leaders are already guiding the improvements for Tigergen II and brainstorming future design plans for Tigergen III. We did not rest long after our competition in March. This month we have demonstrated Tigergen II at two Meet Mizzou Days, the college of engineering’s High School Weekend, Jefferson Middle School, the semi-annual MAE Industrial Advisory Council meeting, and Columbia’s Earth Day Celebration. During the course of the year we have attended over 30 events promoting the team and the University of Missouri, 8 of which were held outside of Columbia. To add to the collection of newspaper articles written about the team this year, the Maneater published a story about Tigergen earlier this month. We have been extensively testing Tigergen II to improve the drive system for the next competition. The team has also been busy documenting the process of building Tigergen II in order to pass that information to future generations. Our team member’s unyielding enthusiasm for engineering has allowed us to overcome many challenges this year. Our determination has been rewarded with successes that continue to motivate us to pursue the art of discovery. We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support of the Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team. If you are not a current sponsor and are interested in becoming part of the team through a sponsorship, please contact me at president@mizzouhydrogen.org. - Forrest Meyen, President

Two projects for mechanicals

2010-05-05 19:30:21

The mechanicals are starting to focus on two main projects. We are looking ahead to fixing Tigergen II to optimize its mile per gallon. We are focusing on wheels and breaks to max our miles through less friction. We are also doing tests on the car to fix any mechanical problems and to hopefully have it running perfectly by the beginning of next semester. Our other project we are undertaking is beginning design on Tigergen III, with new computer software, Autodesk. We have switchedsoftware to create better compatibility with our electricals on the team. So over the sum
mer we hope to learn the software and move along with new designs to help create Tigergen III. - Rob Margherio, Head Mechanical

Retaining TGII Knowledge

2010-05-05 19:29:30

This is the last semester for a few members of the chemical division of the hydrogen car, including myself. It has been a pleasure to be a part of a team with such dedication to each other and the common goal of constructing practical hydrogen vehicles. Although it is hard to move on from a team that has been a part of my everyday life for a few years, it is also very much an exciting time. I will go on to apply the practical experience I have gained with the team to many other engineering problems. For the knowledge and experience I have gained from the team, I will always be thankful.
It has been my last remaining goal as a retiring hydrogen car team member to ensure that the knowledge from Tigergen II is retained. We are in the process of refining a documentation database to store this data and make it easily available to future members. The newly elected team administrators are well-informed and highly equipped to carry out this endeavor and make the construction process easier for all future hydrogen cars. - Matthias Young, Head Chemical

Knowing How to Move Forward

2010-05-05 19:29:03

As we look back upon the race and finish testing and diagnosing the problems that hindered our performance, the electrical department has a grasp on what needs to be accomplished to be succesful in the next race. After some preliminary testing, we determined that there are several inherent parasitic losses in our system that have a major effect on our performance, nearly 1/5 of our power was wasted! Now that we know of these problems, we can take positive steps to improve the car that we all worked so hard on. One more lesson that we learned is the need for better communication between the departments on the team. I believe that the interdisciplinary make up of our team is the most important part of our success, and better communication and co-operation can only improve that. - Alex Hansen, Head Electrical

Shell Eco-Marathon Blog March 26- March 30th

2010-04-06 19:30:04

March 26, 2010

3:30 am
Marc and Jennifer placed the final touches on the decals for Tigergen II after many problems initially encountered when trying to place a flat decal on the curved upper body without creating severe creases. The electricals continued their hard work on the electrical system.

9:00 am
After team photos and the mayor of Houston officially proclaimed opening of the Shell Eco-marathon, the team returned to the car to continue needed work.

10:00 am
The beginning of nearly 50 people during the day came by to ask questions about Tigergen II. The team was interviewed multiple times throughout the day, as team members educated children, high school students, and adults about the mission of the team and the different design challenges and our solutions. We were more than happy to tell everyone about our car we have pulled so many all-nighters for.

1:30 pm
From the first runs of the prototype and urban concept cars, the event is finally underway. We learned a lot from watching the event, understanding the passing/stopping procedures and track layout.

5:00 pm
Tigergen II moves a few steps closer to being cleared for the race track. We passed all the inspections except for the hydrogen sensor and the kill switch.

5:20pm
Jennifer, Tori, and Rob are interviewed on KMOX 1120 for thousands of listeners, in Greg Damon’s Auto Show – which can be listened to on http://www.kmox.com/pages/5146850.php in 03/27/10 - Auto Show Hour 2.

6:00 pm
With Tigergen II pushed to compete Sunday, the team took some time to watch the rest of the urban concept vehicles, laugh and enjoy the sun.

8:00 pm
With a delicious dinner, some tightrope walking in Discovery Green Park, the team spent some time relaxing and enjoying their time in downtown Houston.

March 27, 2010
12:30 am
The past champions of the Shell Eco-marathon event, Mater Dei High School, come by and talk with us about our car and their cars. We learned a lot about their philosophies on efficiently moving around the track and building their cars, and they were very impressed by our hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

1:40 am
Facebook now holds many of our pictures and videos over the last few days, with great candid shots of the team. The electricals are continuing their seemingly never yielding work on their systems but won’t rest until the car is ready to pass inspection tomorrow in time to race in the 9:15 urban concept event.

8:30 am
With the car up and running and the culmination of three sleep-less work-filled nights, the car finally passed the entirety of the technical inspection.

9:15 am
The team spread out on the track as Jennifer and Tigergen II pulled up to the start line. The first few laps revealed the ominous fortunes of the day as the fuel cell had many troubles starting and staying on. The electricals and chemicals literally ran around the race track trying to help Jennifer restart the fuel cell, but with no luck. So we pulled the car back into the pits and began work to make sure the car would complete the next run.

12:45 pm
Finally having a race to work from, mechanicals, chemicals, and electrical all refined their systems. Once more, Tigergen II and Jennifer, pulled up to the start line and waited for the green flag. During the first two laps, the fuel cell shut down twice and required some towing from the officials. However, the next 5 laps proved we could compete as all times were under the maximum lap time and Tigergen II was able to stop and start without problems. Even though we were forced to end the trial without finishing we were sure we could put together a complete competitive trial.

1:30 pm
Even with very little time due to scheduling inconsistencies, the electricals and chemicals were able to get the car working again. This was the final run, the last chance to get a mpg equivalent that would be posted in the standings; two years of work had come down to one final race. After the first lap which had some troubles but still kept us on time, everyone was cheering and one could hear the M-I-Z Z-O-U chant all around the track. The next three laps were perfect, the car started and stopped without any semblance of problems. Everyone was super excited as everything was working exactly as it should have. On the fifth lap, Tigergen II went around the far side of the track, out of view of everyone at the homestretch and the convention center, but did not come back around as quickly as the previous laps. Slowly depressing the elated spirits of the team, the few minutes turned into twelve minutes without the car passing the homestretch. Then we saw black and gold car with the long tiger tail pull into the pits; our race and our competition were over.

5:00 pm
As we were talking about all that we had actually accomplished and how far we’d come, the news came: Tigergen II would have posted a 480 mpg if she had completed the race! Meaning we would have won the Urban Concept Division in only our first year ever competing in the Shell Eco-Marathon! So there’s plenty to build upon in the coming years.

7:00 pm
At the dinner and awards ceremony, we received an award for Perseverance in the Face of Adversity because “despite operating without sleep, [we] showed a can-do attitude and kept smiling each day at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas.” This got the team $500 to pass on for next year.

March 29, 2010

7:30 am
Missing Tori, Jennifer, and Nathan (since all three of them stayed in Texas for Spring Break) the team took their final looks back at the convention and began the trip home.

9:30 am
Just southeast of Huntsville, Texas the chase van noticed rubber flying up from the side of the trailer, so the trailer and the van pulled over on the side of the highway. As our luck would have it, there was not just one but two flat tires on the trailer’s left side. After changing both tires on the shoulder of I-45 with semi trucks passing at 80 mph, everyone met up at Huntsville State Park. There the team readjusted the weight in the trailer, sent a group to go pick up two new trailer tires in hopes that we’d never use them, and hit the road again.

March 30, 2010

2:00 am
With over 18 and one half hours on the road, Tigergen II finally found her way back into the parking lot of EBW. Our first steps into the lab revealed some nice little welcome back gifts from the SAE Formula Car Team trying to show off their many classes in interior design and decorating (yeah, we’re really proud of them too): Jon Tylka’s bike was very tastefully suspended upside-down from the ceiling, and the lab was reorganized with the bright orange mold in the meeting room and the table in the build room. With one last look at the lab, the lights went out, and the pursuit of next year’s Shell Eco-Marathon Championship began…

MEDIA

Many news outlets have publications including Tigergen II and the Mizzou Hydrogen Car team:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7356417 - - Though we aren’t shown in the actual video, the picture just before playing the video is the bold black and gold Tigergen II.

http://www.shell.com/home/content/ecomarathon/americas/media/2010_sema_houston_ladies.html - - Jennifer was quoted in this Shell article about being a female driver: “A lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re smaller and lighter than the men, but I’ve been on the team for three years so I know as much as anyone about how the car was made and how it handles.”

http://www.shell.com/home/content/ecomarathon/americas/media/2010_sema_houston_sunday.html - - In the Shell Sunday morning update, we were noted for our constant and persistent late night work: “The Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team from the University of Missouri spent most of Saturday tweaking their urban concept car, which has shock absorbers, an upright seat, and a generally creature-comfortable feel compared to the strictly functional vehicles of the competition. The goal: to capture as much experience as possible in preparation for the next year’s Eco-marathon. ‘We were up until 3 a.m. last night … or this morning,’ said Alex Hansen. ‘Everybody on the team has pulled at least one all-nighter.’ ”

http://www.shell.com/home/content/ecomarathon/media_centre/image_library/ - - In this image library, selecting the “Americas” race on the right hand side, then selecting “2010” and “March 28th”, image #13 is a picture of Jennifer in Tigergen II.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6933200.html - - The Houston Chronicle wrote an article about the Shell Eco-marathon and has a piece about our team:
“But though the cars appear sleek, the process of building them has been anything but simple.
A team from the University of Missouri, for instance, has had all kinds of troubles recently with its Tigergen II, a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
Among other problems, parts of the vehicle somehow got sheared off while it was being transported to Houston. Over the last few days the team has been working desperately to get the car in racing condition, sleeping in shifts to ensure that someone is working on the car around the clock.
On Saturday morning a few teammates were inside the convention center, putting the finishing touches on the vehicle they've had in development for about two years.
‘It's really exciting,’ said senior Matthias Young, who is studying chemical engineering. ‘We've really pushed the limits.’ ”

Friday March 26 2010 Race Blog

2010-03-26 23:19:29

Friday March 26 –

6:00am
Jon Tylka and Forrest finished riveting the replacement windows. We had replaced them because the original ones were cracking and did not look very professional. The two of them then decided to go to sleep for a few hours.

8:00am
The chemicals were working on fixing the hydrogen leak from yesterday that was preventing us from passing inspection to bring our car into the building to work on it. Some of the other members attended the mandatory team safety meeting which was super duper exciting. Then our drivers, Jennifer and Grant, as well as the head mechanical, Eric, attended a driver safety information session where they walked the track to get an idea of the speeds and cornering necessary to win.

10:30am
Chemicals fixed their hydrogen leak so they passed inspection and were able to bring the car in the building to work on it with the hydrogen tank installed.

11:30am
The team noticed the fuel cell was not working. To try and overcome this obstacle, the chemicals replaced the fuel cell with one of the cells from Tigergen I. However, this did not work either so they moved onto the second fuel cell from Tigergen I. This was the final cell that we had brought so at this point the team was beginning to enter panic mode.
Jennifer and Tori drove to Pasadena TX to pick up a decal that we had rushed printed that was order this morning. The trip turned out to be more of an adventure than previously expected including getting on the wrong highway going the wrong direction. However, we eventually returned safe and sound after a much longer trip than planned.

4:00pm
The fuel cell was still not working and displayed a malfunction in the hydrogen sensor. The chemicals tried to skype the fuel cell producer in Germany however ended up reaching the wrong person. After some more thought the chemicals and Alex D. decided to try and increase the pressure and see if that made a difference. By this time everyone was very discouraged and exhausted of trying to think of reasons this was happening. When increasing the pressure, the fuel cell started working properly and the spirit of the team changed dramatically. Now more than ever the team was ready to get to work to get this car track ready.

5:45pm
We had gotten quite a bit more work done on the car and decided we were going to try and pass some of the inspections before that station closed at 6:00pm. We passed the brake test, height test, weight test, and driver weight test. Even though this was not the entire inspection and we will have to be inspected again tomorrow we wanted to get as much of this out of the way as possible while we could.

6:15pm
The team headed to dinner, for fajitas, and a quick team safety meeting. We also had an autodesk (drafting program) presentation where our team was quite the center of attention. We laughed at all of the speakers jokes getting our selves recognized and singled out. That is how we do it at Mizzou!!!

7:00pm
The team took the car out of the building and repainted it black.

9:30pm
The work for the night started to wind down (for the first time since weeks ago) and we got a quick game of catch with the football. Some of the team also took showers and hung out while we waited for the car to dry.

11:37pm
Electricals are still working on the final pieces we need for the car. The chemicals and mechanicals are basically finished for prerace work and we are now going to go put decals on our body.

Tigergen II will be found on the track tomorrow at Discovery Green in Houston TX and the team can not wait to see what she can do…

More to come!!!

Window Rivets!

2010-03-26 04:56:49

It is 5:11am, Jon and I have just finished riveting in all but one of the windows of the car. Jon has been affectionately dubbed 'Rosie' for his skills. Laval University just gave us some more rivets so we can finish our last window!!! The chemical engineers should be awake in an hour.

Tuesday 23rd - Friday 25th 2:19am 2010 Race Blog

2010-03-26 02:14:53

Tuesday 23rd –

11:30pm
Everyone had been working hard all evening, having realized that our balsa ribs cracked. So… the mechanicals decided to go home and pack their luggage because they knew they were going to have to pull an all-nighter to get this car done.

Wednesday 24th –
5:30am
The team members has been working all night on electrical components as well as mechanical work (supporter bar between ribs, strips on ribs) and decided they were far enough along that they should take the car outside and run it for the first time. They drove it down the hall, through the double doors, and were just getting it off the loading dock when the worst happened. The drive shaft sheered off. Unfortunately we were supposed to be leaving in 5.5 hours. However, to make the best out of the situation the team decided it was a good thing that it sheered off while we were still in our lab and had the use of the machine shop. Andy, Nathan, Eric, and Rob proceeded to design and machine a new drive shaft from scratch in the next 6 hours.

11:00am
The team is supposed to be departing but that time was no where in sight. The drive shaft was still being machined to we decided to order some pizza, place some new decals on the trailer, and work on some electrical components.

1:00pm
While taking out the car for a final test run before leaving the fuel cell was too quiet. This is when the team realized that fuel cell had never been working, that we were running off of battery power the entire time. However, we decided to take off and fix this once we got to Texas.

2:00pm
The team is finally packed up and ready to take off. With a good pep talk and a Tigergen cheer we finally departed about 2:10pm… only about 3 hours behind schedule.

6:30pm
We stopped in mid Kansas for some McDonalds dinner and a quick fuel up.

Thursday 25th –

12:50am
The chase van called Jennifer in the truck and told her to tell Tori, the driver, that she better pull off at the next exit because there were sparks coming from under the trailer.
We immediately radioed to the lead van that we were having issues and we had to get off the highway. We immediately pulled off the highway into an abandoned Shell gas station to check out the issues. We discovered that we had a blown tire on our left side of the trailer. Quickly the boys got all of the tools needed to change the tire. The tire came off just fine until they realized that the tread was wedged between the brake rotor and the wheel. With a few tools, cuts, and a lot of pulling the awesome boys were able to pull of the tread so we could put the only spare tire that we had on the trailer. We then pulled into an open gas station and filled that spare with air and we were off on our way.

3:10am
The team pulled into the La Quinta Inn in Ennis, TX for a quick nights sleep.

11:40am
With the decals finished in the morning, a spare tire purchased, and some more electrical work complete, the mechanicals were taking one last look at the car in the trailer and realized that their rod ends had sheered off. However, we had to go on so we decided to fix the problem once we got to Houston. So, the team headed out for Discovery Green Park.

1:00pm
The team stopped at an exit along the highway at Texas Burger for some lunch. Forrest ate an ant just to make the meal a bit more entertaining for all. (there is video proof of this)

4:00pm
We rolled into Houston, TX at Discovery Green Park. We registered, parked the vehicles, and set up our pit area. We then worked to fix all unexpected problems that we encountered; hydrogen leaks, broken Plexiglas windows, and fuel cell issues.

7:00pm
The team stopped for a dinner break of salad, pizza, and huge cookies and then decided to get back to work.

2:19am
We have cut and are installing new windows, installing hinges, started to align wheels, checked turning radius, found the source of the hydrogen leaks, are installing safety boards, among many other tasks. The team is currently outside driving the car around to see what still has to be fixed before we can be inspected and practice tomorrow. We are planning to work all night finishing this car and not stop until it is ready for the track.

We are so thankful for the help that the other teams have provided when coming around and looking at our car. Penn State talked to us about the hydrogen system leak, and Louisiana Tech explained the build of their carbon fiber body, among other teams. Everyone has complemented on our car and explained why the category we are in was too hard for them to do. They were all impressed with what we had done and that we were able to make it all work. These are the times when you realize that everyone is in this together and as engineers we truly have to work together to get the best projects working.

More to come…

March Newsletter

2010-03-07 18:59:22

Even without the paint, the carbon fiber body of Tigergen II resembles an impressive, compact sports car. The windows are in and the door is cut, but there is still a lot more to be done. The fuel system is ready to be installed as soon as the suspension is mounted in place. Will Bartels and Nathan Park were given the outstanding team member award for their work building an extremely ergonomic seat. With the race less than a month away team members are constantly piecing together every component required to make the vehicle competitive.
Last weekend some team members brought Tigergen I to the St. Louis Science Center to celebrate National Engineer’s week. During this event the team talked to over 500 people of all ages. This event provided great exposure for the team and the College of Engineering. The trip to the St. Louis Science Center was our last major event featuring Tigergen I. At our Earth Day events following the race, we will proudly be displaying Tigergen II.
I would like to thank all our sponsors for their support. If you are not a sponsor and are interested in becoming one, please send me an e-mail at president@mizzouhydrogen.org - Forrest Meyen, President

Machining for Tigergen II

2010-03-07 18:58:45

There has been a lot getting done lately in the lab. If you have looked at the webcam lately, you will have noticed that the top part of the car now has windows and a door cut out. We have materials coming in from all over so that we can put this car together. We are machining axles and suspension tabs so we can attach the wheels and we will soon be machining steering arms and a drive shaft. Only a couple of weeks left so we will be very busy, but soon we will have a working car. - Eric Sawyer, Head Mechanical

Chemical System Installation

2010-03-07 18:57:56

In the last month, the hydrogen car lab has been bustling with activity. A sense of urgency fills the air as dremel tools buzz, carbon fiber is laid, and the most effective construction processes are debated. A select few mechanical engineers on the team have worked day and night to make the body of the car a reality. The chemical engineers on the team have devoted time this last month to helping the mechanical department with their extensive list of tasks. In the mean time, the arsenal of chemical components has been assembled. As all of the pieces fall together, members of the team can not help but to be excited. Soon the chemical components will be installed, the body outfitted with wheels, and Tigergen II will roll out of the shop and onto the track at the Shell Eco-marathon - Matthias Young, Head Chemical

Electricals Working Overtime

2010-03-07 18:57:09

As the race is approaching quickly and the mechanical department is making rapid progress on the body of the car, the electrical engineers are also working overtime to get things completed. Three circuit boards have been designed and printed in the last month, and soldering will be done within the week. Headlights are almost ready to go, all that is needed is the physical layout for the LED’s that comprise them. All of our high efficiency solid state relays are in, and every major component of the power generation system is ready to be placed in the car as soon as a spot is chosen. This month is going to be a busy one for every member of the team, but it will be worth all of the effort. - Alex Hansen, Head Electrical

Electricals Run Multiple Tests

2010-01-30 14:51:13

With the competition in only a couple of
months, the electrical department is prepar-
ing to consolidate the electrical systems
with the car body when it is complete. The
low voltage systems of the car are still in the
development phase, but are expected to be
fnished mid February. Testing of the high
voltage systems has begun, beginning with
the motor itself. As more of the body is com-
plete, more of the components will be tested
to ensure their operability and efciency.
The coming months will not be easy, but the
talented engineers on our team are sure to
overcome any challenges that face us. - Alex
Hansen, Head Electrical

The Newest Article About The Team

2010-01-19 16:53:13

The Columbia Daily Tribune stopped by the lab Friday to gain some knowledge about the car and the work that the team is doing.

Feel free to read up on the team and let us know what you think.

"MU team readies hydrogen car for race"
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/jan/16/mu-team-readies-hydrogen-car-for-race/

December Newsletter

2010-01-03 20:02:21

This November has been an exciting month for the team. We met with Associate Dean Dr. Lex Akers to present the team’s formal budget and business plan. We also presented our budget to the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Industry Advisory Council to request funding for the current academic year. Student ORGs approved funding a portion of travel expenses and we were awarded a grant from Mizzou Student Association Student Sustainable Initiative Fund. The College of Engineering and the Mizzou community have shown excitement and support towards the completion of Tigergen II. We are very thankful for their support.
Another exciting announcement is that a photograph of Tigergen I was included in the 2009 Missouri Blue Book, the state manual produce by the Missouri Office of the Secretary of State. A copy of this book will be available in every public school and library in the state of Missouri.
Construction on the car has picked up pace. Thanksgiving break provided some extra time to work on the mold for the body of Tigergen II. Our team players of this month include Michael Neuenswander, Victoria Hezel, and Chris Sheetz. It is committed students like these that help the team thrive. We would like to thank all our sponsors for sustaining the team. If you are not currently a sponsor and are interested in contributing to the team please contact me at president@mizzouhydrogen.org. - Forrest Meyen, President

Carbon Fiber Work Begins Soon

2010-01-03 20:02:00

We have been working hard trying to get the molds done. We have fine tuned the plug to where we like it and waxed it. We have also put mold releasing agent on it to help ensure that our mold will separate from our plug when we want it to. Most recently, we have painted on our gel coat, which is the actual first layer of the mold or the surface layer, and laid up fiberglass with epoxy resin. Now we are waiting for our epoxy to harden and then we will adhere bracing to the molds to make sure they don’t deform once we remove them from the plug. We are getting closer everyday to being able to start some carbon fiber work.
We have also delivered the metal Kay’s Engineering needed to machine our suspension parts. While we delivered the metal, we brought along Tigergen I to show Ed Kays and the workers what they helped us achieve by machining the uprights for Tigergen I.
Jon was able to get our brake rotors rapid proto-typed by the new machines located in the remodeled portion of the engineering building. The rotors are all the right size and look like they will fit great on our wheel hubs.
Two tires should be on their way to our lab in the near future along with price quotes for our rack and pinion. Soon we will also be able to make another metal order for suspension tabs, steering arms, brake rotors, axles, and motor

Completing Chemical Diagrams

2010-01-03 20:01:17

This month has been an exciting one for the chemically inclined members of the Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team. Airgas delivered 5 full hydrogen tanks as well as a pallet to store them on. These small aluminum tanks pressurized to 2000 psig are the exact ones we will be working with at the Shell Eco-marathon Urban Concept Challenge. The ability to design and practice with them is invaluable; we are very thankful to Airgas for their sponsorship.
The diagrams for the fuel system and process description are also complete thanks to the diligent work of our new members. We all enjoyed completing the Block Flow, Process Flow, and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams over pizza. Doing this work as a group served as a learning experience for those chemical engineers on the team who have not yet taken Chemical Process Design, and was a refresher course for those who had. We are striving for excellence in documentation and safety, and this devotion of time should pay off when our systems are judged at the race.
Our next steps include purchasing the last few remaining chemical components, gathering their specification sheets for safety documentation, and completing the description of failure scenarios for safety documentation. As the semester draws to a close, we are all working hard to finish course projects, study for finals, and make progress on Tigergen II - the second Mizzou hydrogen car ever.
- Matthias Young, Head Chemical

Finishing Circuit Board Designs

2010-01-03 20:00:44

The electrical engineers continue to move forward as the schematics for two of our boards have been completed. After resting for a week over Thanksgiving break, the engineers are ready and willing to finish the PCB designs for those boards before the end of the semester. In an effort to design a more reliable and robust electrical system, we have designed an adjustable voltage protection circuit that will go on all of our boards. The circuit will make sure that in the event that there is a dangerous voltage applied to the circuit, none of our hard work or expensive components will be damaged. - Alex Hansen, Head Electrical

October Update

2009-11-05 19:11:50

Tigergen II is starting to take shape. We have overcome major mechanical design challenges, improved the chemical safety system, and assembled major electrical hardware components. The plug that will be used for creating Tigergen II’s body is almost complete. Last weekend the team participated in a challenge course ran by a campus organization called Venture Out. This event refreshed our teamwork and communication skills so that we could work even more effectively as a team as we continue constructing Tigergen II. Congratulations to our outstanding team members for the month - Alex Devilbiss, Brian Satzinger, and Alex Hansen.
October was a busy month for public events as well. The team gave four presentations including a major trip to St. Louis for Scifest09. About 900 people saw Tigergen I during October bringing the total number of people to view the car this semester to about 1,400.
The Hydrogen Car Team would like to thank you for your continued support. If you are not a current sponsor and are interested in becoming part of the team through a sponsorship, please e-mail me at fem25c@mail.mizzou.edu. - Forrest Meyen, President

The Body is our Main Priority

2009-11-05 19:11:19

We are getting ready to finish the bottom part of the plug and will soon be finishing the top part. Next we will be starting to make the mold. Our suspension parts files have been given to Kays Engineering for manufacturing once we get ahold of some metal. Steering design is complete and we may start purchasing parts once we have the means to. We need to purchase 3 more brake calipers and also have our rotors water jetted sometime in the future. Since everything relies on the bottom of the body getting finished, that is our main priority. - Eric Sawyer, Head Mechanical

Working on the Fuel System

2009-11-05 19:10:56

In the last month the chemical division of the team has made long strides towards a completed fuel system. We have finalized the fuel system design and compiled a list of components we still need to acquire. We have also decided on the installation locations for all of the components, made plans for mounting hardware, and purchased some of the necessary mounting hardware. With the race still a few months off, we are on schedule to have plenty of time for testing and analysis of the fuel system before we race.
The Shell Urban Concept Challenge requires that we compile a report on safety, and offers awards for the safest fuel system designs. Many of our new members have been working diligently to compile the diagrams and written sections for this safety report. In the process, they are gaining familiarity with the fuel system, and making valuable contributions to the team. I would like to offer my thanks to all of the new members who have taken the initiative join the team and contribute to Tigergen II. - Matthias Young, Head Chemical

Progress Made By Electricals

2009-11-05 19:10:06

Progress is continuing as usual on all of our circuit board designs. The headlight control board is entering the PCB design phase and the telemetry board has just begun the schematic and design phase. As new members learn how to use the design software that we have at our disposal, the process becomes easier and future revisions or new boards will be produced quicker and of a higher quality. The electrical department has also begun to consider what needs to be done before testing of the motor efficiency can begin. We will work in conjunction with the strategy department to put that project into motion. - Alex Hansen, Head Electrical

Catching up with TigerGen II

2009-02-18 22:18:50

Things around EBW 1 have really begun to pick up the pace. Our first major deadline is to have all of our designs loaded onto Pro-E, which is just a short 34 days or so away. We might be cutting it close, but we should make it. Part of the challenge will be teaching Pro-E to a bunch of team members who have never used the program before.

We’re also preparing to make another big purchase (our first, of course, being the awesome carbon fiber 17″ wheels): the drive set. The drive set is essentially the motor for the car, which we’ll need soon to better incorporate it into TigerGen II’s design. The only thing holding us up is the lack of a quote from the company we’re going to purchase it from (they’re still meeting internally to determine a price).

On a lighter note, this Saturday and Sunday we’ll be a part of National Engineer’s Day out in St. Louis (at the Science Center). We’ll be bringing out TigerGen I and some of the team members. So if you’re going to be in the area, you should definitely stop by and visit!

If you’re interested in joining the team, feel free to send me an email at sesmrb@mizzou.edu or stop by a meeting (5 p.m. Tuesdays in Engineering Building West 1– in the basement)!

End of the semester re-cap

2008-12-18 15:13:59

Hey everyone!

This semester has been a busy one. Just this week we received our new carbon fiber wheels from Motowheels.com. They will inevitably give us a huge edge in competition; they way just under three pounds each, when the other ones we considered weighed around 11 pounds each. So now we have the six wheels (two spares) sitting in our lab.

Another big improvement was the removal of the molds from TigerGen I. Having those gone gives us much more room to store TigerGen I and begin to lay out TigerGen II.

And although the break is quickly approaching, we still have a lot of work to do through it. We'll be continuing to draw out the plans for TigerGen II and begin talking with companies to create new sponsorships.

Happy holidays from the team and see you in January!

Making Progress

2008-10-23 13:25:21

So many exciting things have been happening to the team as of late, it’s been difficult to keep up with everyone!

We are currently beginning our design year for TigerGen II. When completed, she’ll compete in the Shell Eco Marathon Urban Concept Challenge. The race takes place in the Spring (the 2009 race will be in mid April) and is in California.

With this new race comes many, many different rules and regulations for us to meet. The first challenge is the actual style of the race; instead of like North American Solar Challenge, this race will be a track race and the winner will be determined on how many miles a car goes on a limited amount of fuel. We’ll again be using a fuel cell stack very similar to the one on TigerGen I.

Also, the next car will be smaller; almost half the size. TigerGen I weighs about 800lbs; the weight of TigerGen II is capped at 300lbs. With this in mind, we’re considering making a composite frame instead of the metal one of TigerGen I. To successfully do that, we may have to look back at what was done on SunTiger VI, our last solar car.

We’ve been busy showing TigerGen I as well. A couple weekends ago, we attended the International Science Festival at the St. Louis Science Center.
A lot of different people came out and saw the car; there were a lot of children and definitely a lot of people interested in science, cars and technology.

And back on campus, we’ve been a part of Meet Mizzou Day and Black and Gold Fridays, where potential students are brought through the engineering buildings and to the student labs.

This Sunday we’ll be holding a special “extra” meeting. We’ll be discussing, among many things, the goals and expectations of the new car, what will happen with the old cars (TG, and the STs), and just be an interesting mesh of putting all our ideas together.

Happy Homecoming everybody, and GO TIGERS!

It’s football season… and hydrogen car season!

2008-09-08 14:42:19

With a couple meetings for the year already completed, now we’re beginning the real work. Right now we’re looking for new tires and wheels, a new motor and trying to finalize all the large pre-design decisions for TigerGen II. This, of course, is harder done than said. We have a lot of things to consider with our new design; TigerGen II will be lighter– only about 350 pounds, compared to the over 600 that was TigerGen I– and be optimized more for fuel efficiency. Also, we plan on ditching the batteries than gave us such a hard time with TigerGen I and instead use supercapacitors.

But with all this going on, we’re still working with TigerGen I. On Saturday we added the carbon fiber to the styrafoam ribs on the bottom of the car’s body. This will help keep the body stiffer when the frame is attached again.

Today we participated in MU’s activities mart on Lowry Mall and despite not having the car out to show off, we still had a lot of people stop by and check out the team.

Saturday we’ll be at the Sustainable Living Fair at the Columbia College Commons. Hopefully the car will be put back together by then and we’ll be able to bring it out.

Our next meeting is tomorrow at 5 p.m. in Engineering Building West 1. After the meeting we’ll be taking a “tour” of TigerGen I and go over a “Frequently Asked Questions” forum.

As always, feel free to stop by the lab and hope to see you tomorrow!

After a breather, we're back!

2008-07-22 21:50:46

Wow...

It's certainly been a while! After a little bit of a break, I'm back with two (albeit short) videos from dynamics scrutineering (check it out on our Youtube channel) and 13 or so photos from the race (on Flickr).

Stage stop in Neosho

2008-07-15 08:29:14

Good news: Found the firewire cable.

Bad news: Haven't really used it yet. But tomorrow I'll be back in Columbia with more free time, so you'll see that edited down and posted on Youtube soon.

Today, though, was our display/stage stop in Neosho. We spent the day relaxing and socializing with the people visiting while all the other teams worked to ready their cars for the race's continuation tomorrow morning. We got lucky in that respect.

It was intersting to watch all the cars come in. University of Michigan, HS Bochum, Missouri University of Science and Tech, Principia College were already at Crowder College by the time we arrived around 11 a.m. As all the other cars rolled in, the other teams in the parking lot at Crowder would stop what they were doing and applaud them.

Prior to coming to this race, I had heard stories about the simply intense competitiveness of races like this. There were insane amounts of secrecy and competitiveness seemed to overrule any sense of comradeship. But after seeing everything this week-- how so many teams willingly took on members from disqualified teams, how there was barely a moment spared to help out another team with parts or even help-- I couldn't believe that was ever the case. We have been lucky to be with such an amazing group; we wish them all the best of luck.

Neosho

2008-07-13 23:31:21

After leaving Plano this morning after the race start, we drove up to Neosho, Mo., to the first stage stop. It was a long drive, even in the vans and truck, so just imagining driving Tigergen (in her current state) makes us think we really made the right choice Friday.

The day itself was uneventful. We had a nice dinner where we finally had the opportunity to relax and just be a bunch of college kids again. Our talk about the car was no longer about what needs to be done and when, but instead of some of the more humorous stories from the past three years. It's been a while that we could relax like that.

Tomorrow morning we'll be at Crowder College, and we'll be there into the afternoon and evening. We'll also be out for a little bit on Tuesday morning before heading back to Columbia to unpack and plan for what Tigergen II will look like.

Where we go from here

2008-07-12 18:17:01

Today was our display day in Plano at the City Centre. It went really well (aside from the heat, of course), and many people came to check out Tigergen. We had her sitting with the body separate so people could see the insides of the car, which is by far one of the more interesting aspects of the car. Not too many people get to see a fuel cell or a 5,000psi carbon fiber and polyurethane hydrogen tank up close, and explaining Tigergen's process is always one of the more exciting parts of events like this (at least for me- I blame the whole journalism personality). Explaining why we weren't continuing on the race was also tough, but overall we've been in pretty good spirits. I sometimes loathe to say it, but we kind of expected it.

For those not too familiar with Tigergen I's history, we have had more than our fair share of hardships. Even just in the year that I have been on the team, we have overcome more than I think is fair.

We originally planned to run the Great Race 2008 in May. This came after over a year without having a race in mind, and we were ecstatic to compete in such a high caliber race. By April, we learned the race was postponed indefinitely. This had already come after building failure after failure, redesigning crucial parts time and time again, and many, many more issues that I didn't even experience.

By May we joined the North American Solar Challenge. We had participated in this race with our SunTiger cars before, and done well each race. We ran as a demonstration car, meaning we wouldn't compete for placement. We would run the track just to show we could. But the race officials had made the race worthwhile for us- they were understanding of our predicament and went through so many measures to make sure we could still compete.

Then we came to Cresson, completely unprepared-- and that's probably an understatement.

While the other teams were testing and de-bugging, we were building. When teams were passing scrutineering, we were building. When teams were on the track driving and qualifying, we were building. Every day we built and tested and then rebuilt. By mid-week it was a horrible game of catch-up, and the cards were definitely not in our favor.

There aren't too many excuses for this though: too many times we fell behind on deadlines; too many times we made silly little mistakes; too many times we didn't double check our work.

But the decision came down to one thing: safety.

The car itself can drive. However, not the driving we should feel comfortable with. The body rattles and shakes; the temperature inside the car was easily 30 degrees hotter than anywhere outside; the canopy door didn't properly latch. Friday we managed to fry a circuit that we didn't have a replacement for it. One thing after another worked against us.

It was a tough decision to make, but honestly we had no other choice. The car just isn't safe enough to drive on the road yet. Give us another month, and we'll be there. We'll have everything done, and we will be able to drive without the fear of injuring others-- or ourselves.

With that said, we would like to thank all of the NASC officials and the other teams that made this experience a whole let desperate for us. We would not have made it to tonight if not for all you did for us. Thank you.

Also, thank you for all the support you all have given for us. The emails of encouragement and understanding have made this decision a little less depressing. Again, thank you all so much.

We hope to see you in Neosho!

(Photos and video tonight, I promise!)

Sad News

2008-07-12 09:09:04

I am terribly sorry for the lack of updates these last couple days; many things happened that no one of here in Texas (now Plano) were ready to admit happened, let alone share it with everyone following us from back home. (Which, when I check my email Thursday night, just the sheer amount of emails from people following us and cheering us on was simply amazing. Thank you all so much. We were simply amazed.)

Also, we simply had no internet and work on the car took precedence over it.

But this post itself won't be too long; we will be leaving to set up our displays at the Plano City Centre (2000 E Spring Creek Pkwy). I do promise, though, that I will recount our last night in Cresson this evening.

For now, though, I wanted to leave you with the news that we have spent the last evening coming to grips with: Tigergen I was removed from qualification and won't be driving as a demonstration vehicle this race. This was a decision the team made last night.

We will, however, still be arriving at Crowder College on Sunday evening or Monday morning. If you are in the area, we would still love for you to come out and say hi.

As always, I will include more photos on Flickr and some video on Youtube of Tigergen's dynamics scrutineering. Check back this evening.

I will have more details this evening.

Scrutineering

2008-07-09 13:19:04

Today is an interesting day. Well, most days here are because we are constantly discovering regulations we overlooked and little things that just didn't go as we originally planned. We had a drivers meeting early this morning- pretty much first thing- and there they went over how we're expected to qualify... once we finish scrutineering, which we have yet to do.

Work to get the car meeting regulations seems never ending. None of the bolts on the car are right-- we need a specific type of locking bolt and they're proving to be insanely difficult to find. We also still have to reverse the brake lights so they actually light up when we're stopping, and not accelerating. Also, we still have to place the strobe light on the top of the car. It's going to look absolutely ridiculous, but I think we'll manage somehow.

But most daunting now is the curfew we face. We need to have yellow stickers in all of the inspection categories by 5 p.m. tonight before we can move onto the next step in scrutineering: dynamics. That's just the figure eight and stuff. But, while we managed a yellow in both the drivers and body categories, we still have glaring reds in mechanical and electrical. And we still haven't done support yet-- we still need to buy more orange traffic cones before we can do that.

To get by in mechanical a yellow sticker, we still need to replace all the bolts and nuts, which we're still in the process of finding at quarter after 12. But it seems like we have a lead with a mobile hardware store that may just have them. We'll see. Our second round of inspections for that is at 6 p.m., an hour after the cut off.

Electrical shouldn't take as long- we did a lot more work on that last night after the storm cleared. Inspection for that is at 3 p.m.

The downside though, is that by tomorrow we'll have the same mad dash again to update Tigergen to blue sticker status, the lowest status we need to compete on Sunday.

A lot of things have caught us off guard on this race though. It's definitely been a lot more difficult to fit Tigergen into NASC's regulations than we had originally anticipated, and there are all the small things that keep holding us back.

More to come later!

Internet Connection

2008-07-08 13:04:41

Things have certainly changed since two nights ago; I meant to-- and vainly attempted to-- update late last night, but attempting to hook up with a hotel wireless network didn't seem to work out as well as was planned. We moved out of our hotel yesterday morning to save the fees and the gas money, and with that gave up our constant wireless connection. The Motor Ranch here does have wireless, however 25 teams with several laptops each and a plethora of last minute research slowed the connection here to the point of shutting off. It should be okay though since there is a McDonalds in Granbury that has wireless access. I just won't be able to check my email or update the blogs quite as quickly. There's still Twitter though-- and unlimited text messaging-- so it'll work itself out.

Yesterday was hectic. And that was to say the very, very least. We started the morning early; we left Fort Worth at around 6:20 a.m. to be in Cresson by 7:30 a.m. We had missed the original registration time due to traffic, and the race regulators kindly let us register the next morning. So, after blindly wandering Cresson and Granbury, a neighboring city, for a good half hour, we finally found the Motor Sport Ranch. Google Maps had sorely let us down, and with that huge trailer, many u-turns weren't an option. But we got there around 7:45 a.m., registered and set up shop for the day.

We ultimately got a lot done. The blinkers and tail lights are in the process of being corrected (we had an interesting switch in that; the taillights turned on when the brakes /weren't/ pressed). The batteries are in the process of being documented for the race officials. It was something we just didn't have time to get to back in Columbia, and that will need to finished before 4 p.m. if we want to use them on the race.

However, we learned last night that, while it would be nice to have the batteries on the race, they're not completely necessary. Last night Garrett took Tigergen for her first drive with the body around the roads in the Motorsport. She reached 70.4 Km/hr, or approximately --- mph, and Garrett said that with a little more space, she would go even faster. That's close enough to the minimum speed on interstates that we may not need them to complete the race. However, they'd be nice to have.

We drove her in the evening in the middle of our camp area- and video of this is posted on our Youtube channel- and possibly the coolest thing was that a lot of the other solar car drivers stopped work on their own cars to watch her drive.

After the drive, we did learn that there were some issues with the car that'll need to be fixed this week. We had a hard time fitting the top of the body to the bottom, but we think that may have just been because of the heat. Also, the wheels scrapped against the ferrings (the carbon fiber-nomex coverings around the wheels) when turning. This isn't so much of a safety issue as just annoying and just a little painful to Tigergen's body.

Also about midway through the drive, the back of the bottom body dropped a bit. It didn't scrap against the ground or anything, but it did make a lot of noise and shuddered a lot. That, though, was most likely because we didn't match up the body fully and the "L" shaped pieces of carbon fiber-nomex that lock the two halves together weren't in place.

Those were the technical things that needed work. Garrett did have a little issue with putting Tigergen in drive after reversing. After pulling up a little hill, he reversed and when he placed Tigergen back in drive, she just stayed in reverse. Finally she went into drive, but produced no torque. However a little push from Eric sufficed at the time.

But more pressing is scrutineering. Scrutineering starts today at 1 p.m. with our mechanical inspection. Inspectors will go over Tigergen's frame, up rights, axles and just about everything else that holds her together and make sure she's fit to drive. Then is our electrical systems inspection at 3 p.m., our battery pack systems inspection at 4 p.m. and at 6 p.m. we have body, sizing and driving inspecions. That last one simply checks Tigergen's body to make sure she fits regulations and essentially begins the driver's training process. They'll weigh in tonight so we can get the proper amount of ballasts and inspectors will make sure everyone can get out through the canopy in under 10 seconds. Ballasts, I should mention, are not as much of a big deal for us since we're a demonstration car and not technically racing for scores. In the NASC, all cars must have 176 pounds of weight attributed to a driver to keep everything fair. However, since it's hard to find at least four 176 pound drivers that can easily escape from a tiny, cramped car in under 10 seconds, teams can add extra weight in the form of little lead balls in sacks to make up for the difference in weight. I'll let you know how we do in scrutineering. From what we've heard so far, a lot of cars had trouble passing the first time.

The race itself starts Sunday in Plano, and we're pretty nervous. So far, Garrett has been the only person to drive the entire car, and that was just for a couple minutes to make sure everything sounded stable. It is, though, looking pretty good. We just have to get through all of this little stuff first.

Our only stop in Missouri, as I mostly likely have mentioned before (we're all lacking sleep), is in Neosho, in the southwest corner of the state. I'm not sure exactly what time we will get there, that much depends on how quickly we drive and how often we need to stop. We will though be in Neosho Monday evening (July 14) and Tuesday morning (July 15). We'll probably show the car a bit at Crowder College (610 Laclede Ave., Neosho, Mo), and if you stick around into Tuesday morning, you can watch us leave from the college, which should be fun.

Wow. This is quite long.

Finally... in Texas

2008-07-06 23:38:06

Close to 13 hours after we left Columbia, we're finally in Fort Worth, Texas, and working on some of the final parts of Tigergen I. The car itself is set outside the hotel at the base of the trailer with some flood lights. There always seem to be a million different things for us to be doing before registering tomorrow morning (work zones near Purcell, Oklahoma, held us up for almost an hour and we missed the registration time this evening). It all works out, though, since we can still register and check in before tomorrow morning's team meeting.

The drive out here was definitely something. Our "Lead" van, the van that normally travels in front of the car, met up with us in Wichita, Kansas, after picking up our observer (a team member's mom). Our observer will eventually join up with another team in the competition to monitor the team and make sure they are all following the rules.

After lunch in Wichita, we practiced driving in Caravan formation. We had our truck and trailer fill in for Tigergen (which, technically, was there-- just in the trailer). Behind the trailer was the "Chase" van, which essentially makes sure that no outside traffic comes up behind the car. Also in the Chase will be our second driver (or first, if it's in the afternoon) and Andrew, our Head Electrical Engineer, who will be watching over Tigergen's telemetry system.

The race itself starts on Sunday, July 13, in Plano, Texas, so if you're in the area, definitely stop by.

Also, the 14 to 15 of July, we will be in Neosho, Mo. If you are in the area, you should definitely stop by and check out the car. We'll be at Crowder College. This week I will for sure have internet access, so if you email me (s.elizabeth.scully@gmail.com), I can get you more information when I have it!

As I write now (I'm on dinner duty), a lot of different projects are going on outside. The door hinges weren't place quite right, so now we're fixing those now. Also, we're working on fixing some electrical things that don't meet regulations, like making a kevlar shield for the DC/DC Converter. We're also attaching the battery box to the frame. Mostly it's just all the little things that we could do here without much difficulty.

Our biggest challenges coming up, though, will be scrutineering and qualifying. Scruntineering will start tomorrow morning after our team meeting and continue until Wednesday. Then Wednesday through Friday will be spent qualifying. The beginning part of the week will be spent with race officials making sure our car is fit enough to drive. We get a list of stuff of things we need to fix, and we'll need to fix it before qualifying.

At qualifying, we'll have to again pass certain tests before we're cleared to race. Drivers will have to be able to escape from the car in under 10 seconds and complete a u-turn, figure eight and slalom course. This may be a challenge since we just attached the body to the frame for real this morning, and we have yet to really test drive it with the body on. Sure, we've driven the frame multiple times, but that isn't always the same. In the end, we'll need at least four drivers approved, so two drivers can drive each race.

But that's still days away and we have to get through scrutineering first. More updates will come later this week though!

24 hours and counting

2008-07-04 19:04:58

It's insane to think about this, but (hopefully) by this time tomorrow evening, we'll already be on our way to Texas.

These last couple days (and nights... and mornings...) have been long; many nights went well into the morning to get things on Tigergen I in condition to drive. Yesterday was spent in a scramble to get the body to a point where we can attach the frame to it, to epoxy in the windows and windshield, to double and triple check everything on the frame, to do a million more things that we can't even remember at this point. The vinyls were put on the trailer; we started accumulating all the supplies we'll need on the road.

We even took the frame out around 9 p.m. to begin getting the race drivers comfortable with driving long distances.

The Missourian shared our story Thursday, as did KOMU.

Today was just a blur of packing, working, more packing and more working. We have a telemetry system now, as well as attached blinkers and tail lights.

But right now, we're putting the frame in the body!

Almost ready to drive

2008-06-28 18:09:33

It seems that to be the phrase of the day. All day we had issues with the brake and throttle systems. Last night we discovered that the accelerator pedal could stick and that, as it was wired, the brake system wouldn't override it. So, we had planned to fix that and the leak in the brake lines this morning.

Well, that wasn't the case.

We spent all afternoon working on it, and for a little while we had everything working (although the brake lines still leaked).

We took the car outside, flipped on the motor and discovered that the motor would run, but the wheel wouldn't turn. So now we're working on finishing that. We had planned to go out to Mizzou Arena's parking lot to drive this afternoon (now this evening), but that's looking more and more unlikely.

Hopefully I'll have better news later this evening.

We drove... for real this time!

2008-06-28 16:00:25

Just last night, we drove the Tigergen I frame with a nearly complete braking and steering system. Garrett, Head Mechanical Engineer, drove around the Engineering Building West parking lot for three minutes or so-- before the light rain became a hazard to our electrical system.

But it's an exciting accomplishment- especially since we have only a week before we pack up and head to Texas.

And even greater news, guys! I finally was prepared and had the nice(r) camera to capture the exhilarating moment. So check it out!

That and Flickr, of course!

Where we're at now

2008-06-25 18:09:08

Much to our dismay, we won't have the car done this evening to drive. We had hoped by this time- or at least close enough to it- to have the brakes and steering completed. But the shop ended up closing early on us today- at 3 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. like usual- and we had about another half hour on the steering knuckles until they were finished and a little longer to finish a little piece on a lathe. But we move on.

Last night was definitely an interesting one. We spent most of yesterday preparing the car for driving, which was more difficult than it sounds. We had to attach the suspension, the tires, brake discs and a lot more fun little pieces that I can't even remember. We finished most of our necessary welding, so that meant we could finally start wiring the car.

That took some time-- a lot of wire cutting, soldering, testing and twisting-- and we "purged" the hydrogen tank. Essentially, we were cleaning all the air out of the tank using Nitrogen. We filled and purged the tank twice and then took the entire frame outside to the trailer.

We filled the tank using a cascade system. It sounds complicated, but it's surprisingly simple. Inside the trailer we can carry three massive metal tanks that is filled with compressed hydrogen gas. They're all connected with a system we designed.

When the cascade system's nozzle is attached to the tank on the frame, hydrogen is drawn out of one of the tanks in the trailer. As the pressure in tank 1 decreases, hydrogen from tank 2 is moved back to tank 1 to increase the pressure again. The same repeats when the pressure in tank 2 decreases with tank 3. (That's not too complicated, huh?)

And when I say drive, I should probably elaborate a little more about what we accomplished. The frame itself had no brakes and no steering control; what we did was turn on the entire power system, then the fuel cells, then the motor on a rear tire, and let her drive! The motor made a loud whirling noise. The noise, though, should lessen some as we further refine the car. The car moved slowly, and if we wanted to turn, we had to grab onto the uprights and physically turn them ourselves.

So, while it's a little disappointing we won't be driving anymore tonight, we'll be working hard the rest of this week to get the car fully drivable this weekend.

Oh- and soon we shall have Tigergen's body back! I'll post more details on that when it gets closer to returning. It will be gold with a black chevron on the front and two black stripes following the body's lines back to the tail. It'll look pretty awesome.

Despite the summer, we're still working

2008-06-11 12:41:49

With just under a month until we arrive in Plano, Texas, for scruntineering and the beginning of NASC, we've been making some major headway towards finishing Tigergen I. She now has a body, and all that is left is to cut the windows and the door and paint it. Hopefully the body will be sent out Monday.

The frame is in the final stages of completion as well. Students still in Columbia have been working all day to finish the brakes and steering. Soon we will have our DC/DC board back as well; we needed to send it out for a little bit of tweaking. When we get that back, we will be able to begin testing the car without the body and get our drivers familiar with how it drives. I hope to have some video of the those first tests, and they'll be posted on our new race blog at:

http://tigergen.blogspot.com/

There you will find more information on the team as we drive through the race!

Counting down to a new race...

2008-05-12 14:21:41

As most of you probably already heard, Tigergen I will be participating in the North American Solar Challenge instead of the Great Race. That has been the biggest news as of late, but some massive progress on the car has been made!

The bottom half of the car's body is completed and currently has temporary holes for the tires in ferrings. Also, the plug for the top mold is nearly finished; soon we'll be fiberglassing the mold for the top.

Meanwhile we've put the inside of the car together for recent events. The fuel cells have been attached to the frame, and the hydrogen tank has a stand to sit in. Also, the steering is nearing completion and work has begun on the brakes and pedals.

As always, you're more than welcome to stop by the lab in EBW 1 (the basement) and check out our progress!

One step closer to finishing...

2008-04-18 13:50:26

In the past week or so, the team has made several major accomplishments on the car. The car's terminal blocks have been finished, and within the next week or so, we will have a more permanent wiring system for the DCDC. Also, the car's headlights have arrived, and we're currently in the process of figuring out how to keep them on the car.

The body of the car is also becoming closer to completion. The bottom body will be done in the next week or so, and the plug for the top mold is also close to being finished.

And that is about it for the moment. Next week we'll be in Jefferson City for the MoDNR Earth Day, so if you will be in the area, you should stop by!

Almost another month down...

2008-04-08 22:07:20

Only 51 days left... We're really start to feel the immediacy of the race.

But it is really amazing all that we've finished on the car in the last three weeks. After many, many trips up to Custom Composites Company in Moberly, we now have a completed bottom mold that is back in the shop. Nomex and carbon fiber is currently being added to the mold to create the body.

Still up in Moberly is the wooden plug for the top of the car. In the next couple days, it'll be painted to create a smooth surface. Hopefully in not too much more time, we'll fiberglass it and create the second mold.

The steering has also taken large strides toward completion. It's currently designed and hopefully this week we'll be manufacturing it in the shop. The brakes are in a similar state and will be water jetted in the near feature.

And as we balance completing all this work, we'll doing a lot more fundraising and community events. In the next two weeks, we'll be showing the car to some elementary school students as part of an alternative energy project and a group of honors junior high students will be stopping by the lab for a visit.

On the 16th, we'll be holding a fundraiser at both Shakespeare's locations in Columbia. If you're in the area and feeling like some good pizza (that in the end helps us cover costs for the race), stop by the lab and pick a flyer.

On the 25th we'll be participating in the MoDNR Earth Day in Jeff City. We'll be taking the car out to show to the little kiddies from across the state. It's sure to be another fun time!

71 Days Left

2008-03-19 15:57:51

Some major progress has been made on Tigergen I in the last two weeks. We finally have the bottom mold for the car's body complete and sitting in our lab. The top plug is almost completed and on it's way to becoming a mold. Also we finished our regulator lock and received the nozzle for hydrogen tank.

Next week is Spring Break, though, and the work on the car will continue with those who will still be in town. We have a lot of machining on the car to do over break. We also have the design for the brakes completed and we'll be starting those in the near future.

Things on the whole have been coming together nicely. The race is quickly approaching, but with as much work as we've been putting in on it lately, it'll be done.

Finishing the Mold

2008-03-06 15:32:35

This past week has been quite a busy week for the team! With E-Week fast approaching, we've spent a lot of time preparing the car's body. Tuesday and Wednesday we fiberglassed the cage to the bottom mold and is in the process of separating the mold from the plug.

Today students were out in Moberly this morning working on machining wood for the car's nose with CNC. They actually just got back with it and it'll be put in the lab so we can sand it. Then we'll make the top mold and not before too long, we'll have a completed body for the car. Monday we'll be bringing the mold's bottom back to the lab so we can apply the carbon fiber and Nomex to make the body.

With a little under three months until the race, there has been more publicity on the Great Race 2008. We'll be participating in the North American leg of the race, which will run from May 30 to June 13. In the end, we'll have driven about 3,300 miles (5,315 kilometers).

For more information about the race in general, check out their website: http://www.greatrace.com/

It has everything about the 2008 race, along with information about it's first run back in 1908. It's definitely worth your time to wander around it.

Also, the New York Times did an amazing article and companion slide show about the 1908 race. The slide show has pictures of all the original cars and some mechanical information that, when compared to more modern cars, is incredibly interesting.

The article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/automobiles/10RACE.html?ref=collectibles

The slide show:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/02/10/automobiles/0210-RACE-CARS_index.html

And now it's back to work!

92 Days and Counting...

2008-02-28 12:23:55

We were out of the lab again this weekend, this time at the St. Louis Engineers Week at the Science Center. We were with some other MU engineering teams and some from Rolla, It was a great weekend; we took out the ball game and taught some little kiddies about fuel cells and hydrogen-powered cars.

But most impressively, we debuted our rolling chassis. The car is really beginning to take shape; this weekend we'll be working on the plug for the body's top. We're still going up to Moberly in the near future to finish the bottom of the car's mold.

Slowly but surely we're getting there!

101 Days Until Raceday

2008-02-18 15:48:15

First off, thanks to everyone who came out to see the team at World of Wheels in Kansas City this past weekend. We had an amazing turnout, and we all loved talking with you!

For those who couldn't make it, we spent the weekend in Bartle Hall with SunTiger 6 and a bunch of amazing looking muscle cars and motorcycles. In a few months ST6 will actually be moving into a new home at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, so it was nice to take the old car out of the trailer one last time.

Much progress, though, has been made on the Tigergen. We're in the final processes of getting things in, and we're working more in Moberly to finish the body so we can paint it. Overall, we're about two months from completion, and there's only 101 days until the race begins. We're optimistic though and everything will be done by then.

Also exciting is this weekend's St. Louis E-Week. We'll be out there Saturday and Sunday and hopefully be debuting our chassis at the Science Center. We'll be there with a bunch of other engineering teams from other universities. If you're in town you should definitely check it out! It's sure to be a blast.

On the Second Day of Classes...

2008-01-23 20:32:43

We got two new Dell computers to replace some of the old lab ones.

The assortment of boxes we received over Winter Break are now unpacked and in the process of making it onto the car. The fuel system is almost complete; all that is missing is the nozzles to hook the hydrogen tank to the car. The precharge system is almost nearly completed as well.

A couple great events are also coming up in the next month. Tomorrow morning we're driving up to Custom Composites in Moberly to sand the body more. Also coming up is the the World of Wheels custom auto show in Kansas City. The show is the weekend of February 15 and we're hoping to have a rolling chassis to show off. The weekend after that is the St. Louis E-Week which we're planning on taking part in.

As always, general meetings are on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in EBW 1 (the basement). If you haven't stopped by yet, you should definitely stop by next week. We're starting to plan the logistics for the Great Race 2008 in Canada.

Happy New Year

2008-01-12 13:29:49

Our car is currently in an assortment of boxes. The most recent additions to our box collection include a ten foot long cardboard tube full of tubing from Swagelock for the hydrogen fuel line. There's also two rather large boxes that have been opened to sandwich Nomex from FibreGlast between them. Not to forget the little guys, the two small boxes in the shop are full of spindles and spacers, lug nuts and disc brakes. It's also exciting that we have twin square boxes now, and the two regulators inside are safe from harm in a newly aquired metal cabinet the Chemical engineers received.
One of the most mysterious boxes to be in the lab comes from Hexcel. It is rumored there is no less than 97 yards of fresh carbon fiber, but since the metal bands haven't been cut it is tough to know the truth.
The award for the most boxes is deserved by the Electricals who have so many that to list them all here might crash our server, so for now wish them good luck on there next mission of building the kevlar boxes that will hold all the circuitry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-16 20:46:09

With the team disbanding for Thanksgiving, it's time we catch up on some of the latest achievements of the team. We recently got in our second fuel cell. Also the electrolysis demonstrator is complete, so now we can create hydrogen by from water at demonstrations. It was created and designed by students on the team, and if you get the opportunity to see it work, definitely do so. The body is also a step closer to completion in Moberly. We'll start sanding the mold soon and in not too long we'll have Tigergen's body completed. The car's frame is now completed, and the suspension design is now finalized.

If you'll be in town over break and feel like helping out, stop by EBW 1! There won't be a formal meeting next Tuesday, but there's still work do be done in the lab and we'd love to see people stop in!

Twilight Festival

2007-09-26 15:11:09

Tomorrow night we'll be heading out to put up a display at the Twilight Festival. If you haven't been to a Twilight Festival before, it's a fun night of music, shops and, if you're bringing some kids along, games. Ninth Street between Cherry and Broadway are closed down for a stage, and Flat Branch Park is a haven for children. We'll be down at Twilight from around 6 until 8 in the evening with the SAE Formula Car. And if seeing our bright and shining faces just isn't enough incentive (and we all know it is), we'll be passing out some snazzy Slinkys and airplanes!

But the Twilight Festival is a great community event that showcases how truly diverse of a city Columbia is. All sorts of people come out to enjoy the event, and since this is the last Twilight Festival of the year, it should be amazing.

Sustainable Living Fair

2007-09-17 12:46:08

The Sustainable Living Fair was this weekend and it was a great opportunity to show people the importance for efficient cars and driving. To help everyone along we aired up peoples tires for them, saving them gas money, prolonging tire life, and improving safety and driving performance.

We were displayed right along with a hemp bio-diesel pickup truck and an electric pickup truck. Those are good demonstrations of current technology that can be implemented into everyday cars, but both of them needed air in their tires. It reemphasized the fact that it comes down to owner responsibility to maintain their vehicle to the best condition even if the vehicles are of a progressive design. It is for that reason we're putting in the many hours required to make sure that our Tigergen is going to be just fine traveling 3,600 miles with a 5 horsepower motor.

It's time to get our BBQ on!

2007-09-01 14:36:39

Tuesday was the first meeting of the new semester and it was incredible seeing all the people ready to get to work on Tigergen! Great strives have been made on the car, and instead of boring everyone with the nitty gritty specifics, we'll just skim over the major strides. The frame is almost 90 percent completed and the plug is being milled by Custom Composites in Moberly. Tigergen's steering is in design, and Kay's Engineering in Marshall will produce the suspension when the design is finished. Two Ballard Nexa 1.2 kW fuel cells will be used in the final product.

A great event is coming up for those who didn't get enough shop-talk at the meeting at the park behind Laferre. The College of Engineering will be holding a BBQ for students Wednesday afternoon. They'll be great food, great people, and even better, the folks from Tigergen!

Bending Bars

2007-08-17 13:17:34

A group of us went out to Mizzou's Remote Test Facility today to bend our roll bars. The RTF is typically used by civil engineers to test bridge designs, and other large metal structures, but we have a tubing bender tucked in a corner there. Thanks to a 10 ton ceiling crane we were able to move it to a spacious location, weld it to the floor, and with another 5 guys on a breaker bar, got the job done.

School will be starting up here soon and it was good to get a head start on the semester. We have a lot of hours left to work, and between classes, work, and the rest of life it should be fun. Please check back frequently to keep updated on our progress, and feel free to come to a meeting every Tuesday at 5 P.M.

Summertime

2007-06-01 15:27:27

We are moving farther and farther away from the sun, but it seems like it may get hot this summer. The car is coming along just fine.

We now have a tank from Lincoln Composites. It holds the equivalent of 1.6 gallons of gasoline. That should be able to last us for 10 hours of driving in our car. Keep in mind though, that wouldn't be possible in a big SUV or estate car. And while one day a smaller lesser powered car may be realized as the advantage, the truth tells the storage density of hydrogen still has to be improved.

The recent acquisition of carbon fiber is also exciting. Boeing helped negotiate with Hexcel to donate 100 yards of it. Black and beautiful, we'll be able to maintain all the strength of a regular car, but without the added weight of iron. Let's face it, there is no extreme need to have a whole lot of steel in a car.

Body Mold

2007-04-13 10:51:28

We got in contact with Custom Composites in Moberly, a sponsor from the last car, and come to find out they have an even bigger mill than Kays Engineering, and it is a 5 axis to make the curved cuts. They assisted in the last molds that were made, so they are familiar with the whole process we are preparing to take on. This is also good news because now we won\'t have to make as many smaller blocks of foam.

Kays Engineering is still one of our valued sponsors and we will be looking to them for some other kind of mill work for the suspension components.

Both sponsors have been very helpful so far along with everyone else who has contributed what they can, and we will make sure to recognize that fact where ever we go.

Tons of Trucks

2007-04-06 18:32:56

There were "Tons of Trucks" in Cosmo park this week. A ton of children were there too. They finally found something to climb all over and honk the horns. It was great for us too seeing some fine machinery. The fire truck had a nice hydraulic system on it. And the transimissions were impressive. The 1940 Chevy cab over school bus was a particular favorite for a few of us, and despite the cold we all had a good time.

Home Brew Hydrogen

2007-03-20 08:29:35

I saw a link to what someone did for their off-the-grid energy solution. It's easy to understand why this needed to happen on an island. But if you think about it North and South America is a really really big island.

Having electricity in this day and age is necessary, but making your own gives you all the power. Literally, check out www.siei.org

Big Foam Blocks

2007-03-17 18:20:35

A small venture was made to Kays Engineering this weekend to make some test cuts into our big foam blocks. The foam blocks are so big, we're going to have to use a lumberjack saw to cut them up into smaller blocks, which will then be used to make our mold.

The bottom section of the frame is also all welded together. Next to do is make the vertical bars connecting the top section.

St. Louis Science Center

2007-03-02 13:10:07

We made the trip to the St. Louis Science Center this past weekend. If anyone hasn't visited there, it is highly suggested to do so sometime.

There was a decent turnout to check out all the engineering projects, including Mizzou's SAE formula car and steel bridge. We had the opportunity to show Suntiger VI and the fuel cell, and demonstrate to all the curious folks how they worked. It was good to see a lot of the younger generations already getting their minds wrapped around some of these technologies and their capabilities. A few, too young to read words, showed their climbing talents on Suntiger. It was a fretful reminder that the world is our playground, though hopefully they learn their coordination on swings and slides first.

We had a few more learning opportunities as well. There were a good bit of people well versed in many aspects related to our cause. The ability to exchange information is our most powerful resource, so feel free to send us any new information you find related to alternative fuels.

St. Louis Auto Show

2007-01-30 16:56:41

Well, it's definitely been a while since our last post. Our most recent endeavor was this past weekend trip the Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team took to the St. Louis Auto Show. It was a huge success thanks to everyone who came by! At the show we displayed the SunTiger VI and our Ballard fuel cell. In fact we can honestly say that we were the most fuel efficient car on the floor.

For the weekend car fans, ourselves included, were able to see the cars of the future. A constant flow of onlookers came by impressed by the idea and reality behind our cars. It seemed everyone, from kids to businessmen, had questions on how our cars worked and how fast the SunTiger VI could go. Few expected it to be able to go 72 miles per hour and be street legal during the day.

Of course many were surprised to find that it was a solar powered race car. Our wide body shape and low height had many thinking it was a solar powered boat. Imagine their surprise to find out it not only that but it had also raced 2500 miles across North America.

People weren't just impressed by the solar car though. The fuel-cell from Ballard also drew a lot of attention. Most of the weekend you could find our chemical engineers deep in conversation on just how the fuel-cell works and how it would run the car.

Questions about the possibility of these alternative fuel vehicles being in the consumer market were also common. We were happy to say that the hydrogen fuel-cell car looks to be coming in the near future. Big named companies such as Ford, Honda, GM, Toyota and others have all announced that they're going to release cars soon.

As of yet we still haven't seen how many hits we've had on the Web site since the show. But we wouldn't be surprised to see a large number, the address was handed out on flyers as quickly as team members could.

Sustainable Living Fair

2006-09-30 02:45:03

Today we visited the Columbia Sustainable Living Fair. It was a blast. We meet all kinds of new people, including a guy who actually owns a hydrogen fuel-cell car! It was interesting, I've never actually seen a commercially produced fuel-cell car, but to talk to a guy who did was pretty interesting. He mentioned a few things that i never even knew we had to worry about. For example, since water is a by-product of the hydrogen + oxygen reaction, there is still small amounts of water in the fuel-cell even when it is not running. Therefore, when you expose the fuel-cell to freezing temperatures, bad things happen. Long story short, I learned that we should never freeze our fuel cell.

We also meet a guy from the Missouri DNR. He seemed very excited about the car, and seemed pretty interested in helping us where he could. We are hoping to have him put us in contact with someone at the DNR who works with grants. We have received grants from them in the past, so it would be great to get to know those guys a little better.

On a more design related note, some of the main ChemEs (Chemical Engineers) were trying to create a 'list of things we need to be worried about'. This is a good first step for them, since many of them are new and haven't really been around the car for that long. Defining your problems is a good first step, and hopefully they will take over much of the necessary design and construction of the hydrogen related aspects of the car, and leave the electricals to play with out circut boards. The Electricals (myself included) are busy working on designing our first circut board, and are still waiting on a development board to test our code on, hopefully that will be getting here this week. We are also starting preliminary research into trying to interface with the motor controller, basically the thing that powers the motor. Hopefully within the next few weeks, we will be moving the motor controller into the lab for work on the next car during the week, then returning it to STVI ( SunTiger 6) for the weekend tours. The Mechanicals have just finished a redesign of the car's space frame, and have shaved a full 50 pounds off the frame's weight. We ran into a bit of trouble trying to find the new steel for the frame, but we are still working on that, and will hopefully have a working body in the coming weeks.

Also this week, Forrest Arndt from Advanced Circuits agreed to donate the circuit boards for Tigergen I. I and the rest of the team would like to thank him for his companies willingness to help our cause. This will go along way toward making Tigergen I a reality. We are really excited to have Advanced Circuits on board, and will hopefully be featuring their logo on our car. (I have to finish talking to the business guys on that one first, but I'm pretty sure it will become a reality.)

Twilight Fest

2006-09-08 02:43:58

It was quite the week down here in the lab. As I post, people are learning the fine art of TIG welding. One of our members learned the hard way why one should not touch the metal with bare hands directly after welding. He'll be fine though, only receiving minor burns on his hand, thank goodness.

This week marked the first Thursday in September, meaning the Twilight Fest is back! For those who don't know, Twilight Fest is an event where businesses and groups set up displays downtown along Broadway and people from all over the city come to meet and be entertained. It happens every Thursday night in September, starting at around 6. We took the car down to 9th and Broadway and talked to people on the street about our project and all the great things we are doing here at the College of Engineering. We were treated to a very special surprise this week when Chancellor Brady Deaton stopped by our display and chatted with us about the car. It is always exciting to get to talk to the heads of our University and demonstrate what we as students are learning outside of the classroom.

Speaking of learning, we have been teaching the newer members of our team how to use LabVIEW to program our telemetry system and also for creating automated tests that we will be running here in our lab. Much thanks to our sponsor, National Instruments, for donating the measurement equipment and software that enables us to succeed.

Thank you all for reading, and don't forget to check out the Hydrogen Race Club to see all of the individual sponsors that have donated recently.

Welcome Back

2006-08-30 02:43:05

Welcome back everyone. A new day is dawning and a fresh semester is starting. The lab is buzzing and filled with activity as we welcome into our fold the newest members to the team. Some of you may have noticed the new picture on the frontpage of the website. The very first picture of our newest car and it looks great! The frame design is finalized, the materials are here and we are training the newest members how to TIG weld so that its construction can begin. The design of the outer body is also complete and ready to be turned into a mold for Tigergen I. I personally couldn't be more excited. I cannot wait to see the body complete and ready to roll down the road. We have also ordered our fuel cell that will bring life to the bare shell and are readying the power components so that we can put it to use as soon as we receive it.

However, much is still to be done and I look forward to working with the newest members of our team. Some are just starting here at Mizzou, others have been here for years and want to apply all that they have learned in our classrooms, but all are welcome and all are needed. From constructing our battery monitoring system to working on the telemetry, to welding the frame, there are a variety of tasks that must be completed in order to make our car the lightest, fastest, and most efficient vehicle we have ever built.
There are few things as exhilarating as seeing your hard work come together as you had envisioned it. None of this could be possible with out the generosity of our donors. I would like to thank them all for the support they have given us and I hope that they continue to support us in the future.

Welcome to Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team Blog!

2006-08-29 02:35:01

Welcome to the Mizzou Hydrogen Blog. Contact Andrew for more information, or to set up an account.