Kevin Olikara and the team in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway
After a long drive and five days in snowy Daytona Beach, Florida, the UW Hybrid Vehicle Team returns to Madison today not with a tan, but with knowledge to prepare them for the final judging in May.
Last Wednesday the team was invited to the Embry-Riddle EcoEagle Green Garage along with other universities using National Instruments components to develop the vehicle simulation model using Hardware in the Loop. National Instruments representatives were on hand to work with the teams to answer last minute questions.
Michael Sartin-Tarm, a sophomore Computer Engineering student said, “It was extremely helpful to the team and we’re glad Embry-Riddle invited us ahead of time.”
That evening, all the universities attended a welcome dinner at the Daytona Lagoon for a night of fun with Go-karts and Laser Tag.
Thursday began the official workshop. The team presented its outreach events and communication plan for year two as well as its website for judging. Later that afternoon, the team drove into the infield of the Daytona International Speedway to watch a demonstration of how the vehicle’s emissions output will be measured and judged in the final competition in May. The tool attaches to the exhaust pipe and it measures the emissions leaving the vehicle, including NOx, CO2 and hydrocarbons. In the demo, GM engineers showed the team what needs to be left in stock vehicle condition so that the emissions equipment can be installed safely and properly.
- The team learned how the emissions measuring equipment will work.
That evening, EcoCAR organizers hosted a sponsor social for all the universities with a special presentation from Doug Fehan of Corvette Racing. He spoke about the American Le Mans Series and focused on teamwork through his successful race management career.
Drew Kosmoski, Mechanical Engineering senior said, “It was really interesting to listen to an enthusiastic speaker. He has been very successful and inspires our team to work hard toward our goals this spring.”
Friday, Team Leader Adam Richards and Graduate Research Assistant Chris Meyer presented the Hardware in the Loop (HIL) model to the judges. In the presentation, they showed that faults could be found within the electrical system and how the vehicle would respond through the controls strategy. By using HIL, it simplifies the controls work because debugging can be done before anything is installed in the vehicle.
Chris Meyer and Adam Richards present Hardware in the Loop.
That afternoon, the team learned what will be tested and what constitutes as a good score in the AVL drive quality event in May. To determine drive quality, sensors will be hooked up to the vehicle that measure pedal pressure and vehicle response. A good score would have a very predictable linear response with pedal position creating a smooth ride.
The team learns about the AVL Drive Quality event.
Saturday, the final day of the workshop, the team separated into two tracks–outreach and technical. The outreach sessions covered social media and utilizing the Clean Cities Coalition. The technical track talked about spring inspections, competition rules and logistics. It was an opportunity for teams to directly interact with GM and Argonne National Laboratory representatives to answer questions. A particular point of interest included the competition’s newest method of measuring fuel economy which will be done using a unique driving cycle.
The day concluded with team photos, a tour of the Daytona International Speedway museum, a barbeque dinner and speech from Faculty Advisor Glenn Bower on lessons learned in year two.
The team is now working to create the spring semester’s plan and deadlines in detail so that it can be best prepared for May. Check out the Picture Gallery here to see more of the trip to Daytona Beach!
