mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 10:58 PM |
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solar powered car I built 14 years ago
When I was in school I was always trying to get involved with anything to do with science or design technology. One day my design technology teacher
asked if I would be interested in building a solar powered car. There was an event in at Silverstone sponsored by shell. They would supply us with the
solar oanels and we had to build a car that we could drive around the track. So me and two other friends started to draw some crazy ideas and settled
on a f1 style body.
We first started of by making a basic floor shape from cardboard then the body again in a cardboard frame. Once we was haooy with the shape we then
applied layer apon layer of fiberglass till we had our body. We then realised that it still wouldn't be strong enough so we bolted some ally box
to strengthen the body up.
our teacher made the electronics for the solar panels. I remember they where extremely heavy to move and a two man lift. We used a disability scooter
motor and a basic axel. For the stearing we used a crashed go cart that was donated. But when I think back it was so heavy and we cared mote on the
looks than how light it really needed to be.
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 10:59 PM |
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 10:59 PM |
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:03 PM |
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When we finaly got to Silverstone and saw what we was up agaist it was quite clear we had no chance. There was universitys there that had built there
own motors from scratch and had battery systems that acted as charged back up systems. We managed to get around 1.5 laps of the track in before the
motor ripped out of the body.
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coozer
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:10 PM |
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Excellent, way back in the 70's our metalwork teacher was obsessed with the mpg challenge. It was entered into something like the shell
challenge, can't remember now. It had a 50cc Honda engine in a lightweight tubular space frame with a bullet style fibreglass body.
What I can remember is our cse case study suffered if we weren't one of the chosen ones on the challenge!
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:16 PM |
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We made a petrol 3 wheeled death trap the year after lol. 50cc motor and we was to see how far we could go on the mpg challenge. We had it all ready
to go and in the pit just passed the safety test and one of the lads jumped in it and messing about he went and stuffed it into the pit wall and
snapped the forks of. We had it in all the local papers. I will dog the articles out.
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:21 PM |
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While was was there we was tild that some celebrity's would be at the event. We got all excited and one of the guys asked this guy in a leather
jacket for his autograph. So I asked him to. Couldnt wait to tell everyone I had TIFFANY DELLS autograph i had no idea who tiff Needell was at the
time
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bi22le
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:30 PM |
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I can better all of that.
My wife is one of the drivers for team Green which I believe still holds the UK record for most petrol and LPG mpg.
something little 6500 mpg!!
I have supported them on a couple of events and the car is a work of art. Andy Green, the brains behind the science, is incredible. Custom made
everything including the engine. He is the main workshop / machinest / magician at Bayh University. So you can only imagine what tools and skills he
has to hand.
It's fuel tank is a pressurised test tube!
http://staff.bath.ac.uk/ensajg/tg/
my wife is the second in from the right on the team picture.
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
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mk85
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| posted on 28/10/14 at 11:37 PM |
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Thanks for bettering all of that!!!!!!
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daviep
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 08:08 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mk85
Thanks for bettering all of that!!!!!!
And his wife is pretty tidy 
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
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r1_pete
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 11:55 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mk85
Thanks for bettering all of that!!!!!!
I wouldn't say bettered, more further developed, of course uni profs and well equipped workshops and access under grads etc. etc. is going to
yield results, hardly comparable to a bunch of enthusiastic 15 and 16 year olds having a go.
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bi22le
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 12:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by r1_pete
quote:
Originally posted by mk85
Thanks for bettering all of that!!!!!!
I wouldn't say bettered, more further developed, of course uni profs and well equipped workshops and access under grads etc. etc. is going to
yield results, hardly comparable to a bunch of enthusiastic 15 and 16 year olds having a go.
I fully agree. THe best bit about the Shell Milage Marathon is that Team Green rub shoulders with the world record beaters from Japan and school teams
with kids in.
It really inspires the children and gives them a taste of what can be.
It also means that my wife has been to Malory Park in a carbon fibre monocoque single seater, yet has not gone faster than 20 mph all weekend!!!
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 12:40 PM |
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cool, our big JBC has it's battery charged by a solar panel rather an alternator and the panel on the roof is very heavy too, most of it seems
to be the supporting frame rather than the collector panes which just look wafer thin things. It would be great if you could get flexible stickly back
solar panels you could just slap on to you car bodywork, even cut to shape and then wire up using ribbon tape 
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r1_pete
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 12:42 PM |
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Absolutely, and they turn out much more employable than the 'world owes me a living' shower I've recently had people
interviewing....
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mk85
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| posted on 29/10/14 at 01:07 PM |
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When we turned up and saw the other cars we pretty much knew we didnt stand a chance.
As for the build we where given the solar panels and everything else was donated or salvaged from the school bins or random crap in the workshops. As
for tools we had a pillar drill and hand tools thats it. Even as a project it was good for us. We went round all the local bike shops and diy stores
scavenging bits.
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