Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU's Electric Vehicle Racing Team Sets New Record

Brigham Young University's Electric Vehicle Racing Team set a new quarter mile acceleration record with their modified General Motors EV 1 at the "Power of DC" electric vehicle drag racing event Saturday, June 11, at the Mason Dixon Dragway in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The team posted a quarter mile elapsed time of 14.08 seconds at 93 miles per hour, having originally set the record for this class (the National Electric Drag Racing Association modified production/class A) in April 2003, a record of 15.9 seconds elapsed time at 77 miles per hour.

"The team was not sure the car would be ready to race in Maryland," said student team leader Taylor Newill, a sophomore electrical engineering major. "We twisted off a one inch diameter transmission jack shaft in practice three weeks ago at Rocky Mountain Raceway in Salt Lake City, and we weren't sure we could get a redesigned, stronger jack shaft made in time. We were able to get it made and installed, but testing was limited before we left for Hagerstown. We figured that if we were going to break [the record] again, we'd break it on the track in Maryland."

Modifications to BYU's EV 1 over the past year and a half included doubling the number of Maxwell Technologies ultracapacitors, developing a unique wireless computer control system and installing a student-designed-and-built two-speed transmission.

The EV 1 made three quarter mile runs with elapsed times of 14.38 seconds, 14.30 seconds and 14.08 seconds. Team members changed motor parameters, tire pressures and shift points with each run, trying to lower the elapsed time. In the fourth run, the first gear drive sprocket sheared, effectively ending the day for the car.

Luke Graham, a senior mechanical engineering student, noted, "Electric cars have tremendous torque. It seems like we continue to push the envelope and find the weak link in the drive system by breaking parts. This gives us the opportunity to redesign and improve the technology."

Perry Carter, faculty co-advisor for the EV Racing Team, said the BYU team did a great job preparing the car for the "Power of DC" event.

"We were expecting to run elapsed times in the low 15-second range and were really excited to see the car run in the low 14-second range, eventually beating our old record by 1.8 seconds. In the racing world 1.8 seconds is an enormous gain!"

Although racing is fun, BYU's electric vehicle racing program is a hands-on, student mentored learning project. In addition to building record-setting electric race cars, team members have coauthored journal articles and papers presented at conferences, including a recent Society of Automotive Engineers conference.

BYU's EV 1 dragster was the first electric race car to compete in an event powered by ultracapacitors, which store energy electrostatically as opposed to batteries that store energy electrochemically. Ultracapacitors have several advantages including quick cycle times and extended life as compared to batteries. BYU's EV 1 is equipped with 260 Maxwell Technologies Boostcap ultracapacitors.

Tom Erekson, faculty co-advisor, noted that the team was able to compete at the "Power of DC" event in part because BYU's School of Technology is sponsoring the Electricity Merit Badge booth at the 2005 National Boy Scout Jamboree in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in late July. The EV 1 dragster will be on display at the booth at the Jamboree. In 2001, BYU and the University of Notre Dame co-sponsored the Electricity Merit badge booth, displaying their electric Formula Lightning race cars to attract scouts to the booth.

For more information, contact Tom Erekson at erekson@byu.edu.

Writer: Tom Erekson

Car-h.jpg
Photo by Jaren S. Wilkey/BYU Photo

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Beyond diet: New BYU study links diesel exhaust to obesity and diabetes

October 09, 2024
A study co-authored by eight BYU students and three BYU faculty finds that exposure to the exhaust gas produced by diesel engines is tied to increased fat mass, enlarged fat cells, insulin resistance and inflammation. These changes can cause metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: “Why America went crazy and how you can stay sane”

September 24, 2024
David French, columnist for The New York Times and bestselling author, spoke to BYU students and employees in this week’s forum address at the BYU Marriott Center. He invited the audience to build unity with people they disagree with through friendship, connection and love.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU completes first-ever campus-wide sustainability assessment, earns distinction

September 24, 2024
BYU has been recognized as a STARS Gold Institution by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The sustainability report from AASHE considers BYU’s commitment to sustainability in academics, student and public engagement, operations, planning and administration, as well as its unique approach to earthly stewardship. BYU is one of only 140 institutions in the country to have been awarded a gold rating by AASHE.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=