Building a super-mileage vehicle
3D INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · FLUID FLOW SIMULATION · FABRICATION
OVERVIEW
Team Eco Titans is a competitive automotive team from South India. They build prototype vehicles that demonstrate extraordinarily high mileages to participate at the annual Shell EcoMarathon Asia competition.
As one of 3 designers on the team, I pioneered a radical shift in the design shift, introducing a "monocoque" design as compared to the multi-body designs of the previous years. For the the first time in the team's 10+ year history, the vehicle boasted advanced materials (like carbon fiber, glass fiber reinforced plastics & PU foam composites for the outer body and chassis), unexposed wheels and a distinct teardrop shape.
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As a result, the vehicle was remarkably lightweight with a incredibly low drag coefficient, achieving a mileage of 340 mpg in 2015.
MY ROLE
I designed & built the vehicle - sketching concepts, creating 3D CAD models, running fluid flow analyses and building the vehicle using advanced materials like carbon fiber.
I was helped to procure components and materials, and worked on a video for a social media campaign.
TOOLS USED
Pen and paper, Solidworks, AutoCAD, Keyshot, ANSYS, carbon fiber / glass fiber reinforced plastics, polyurethane foam composites, various manufacturing equipment
THE TEAM
I was one of 3 people in the design department. We collaborated closely with the Engine, Brakes, Suspension & Management departments. In total, the team was made up of ~20 people
THE TIMELINE
Jan 2014 - Feb 2015
The project took about a year from start to finish, commencing with concept sketching and culminating in the Shell EcoMarathon competition in Manila
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From ideas to designs: Introducing a monocoque design, with unexposed wheels and a distinct teardrop shape, to reduce drag as far as possible.
Finishing touches:
Team Eco Titans was one of a handful of teams representing India at the Shell EcoMarathon Asia held in Manila in 2015.
The 2015 vehicle achieved a mileage of 340 miles per gallon and the team also won an award for Communications at the competition.
