Design Brief
Gantt Chart
Brainstorming
- shorten length
- solar wing (spoiler)
- Bill Stein suspension
- change gear ratio
- twin turbo
- additional wheels
Definitions
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell: a device that through an electrochemical process converts hydrogen and oxygen directly into water
- Solar Cell: a device that transforms the radiant energy of sunlight into electricity for use by an electrolyser
Sketches and Connections
For some reason, the photos we thought we took of all of the connections are gone. We didn't realize this until we took apart our cars completely.
Power Calculations: Solar Mode & Fuel Cell Mode
Solar Mode
Open Circuit: Voltage - 2.65 V Current - .05 A Power - .1325 W Closed Circuit: Voltage - 2.3 V Current - .05 A Power - .115 W |
Fuel Cell
Open Circuit: Voltage - .95 V Current - .9 A Power - .855 W Closed Circuit: Voltage - .71 V Current - .8 A Power - .568 W |
Power Calculations: Series and Parallel Connection
Series:
Voltage - 2.39 V Current - 1.8 A Power - 4.302 W |
Parallel:
Voltage - 1.19 V Current - 1.24 A Power - 1.4756 W |
Reflection
For our car, the most effective mode was the series circuit, with 4.302 W. This mode had much more power than all of the other modes. The reason for this could be that it is the simplest to set up, and there isn't a risk of losing a lot of power. The runner up was the parallel circuit. Lastly, we couldn't get much power for the solar and hydrogen connections. Part of the reason for this is because someone accidentally broke our motor near the end, so we were short on time and had to take apart most of our car to get the motor out.