Solar Race Car
Define a Problem
Goals of the project:
- Make a car go at least 1 meter
- Use either a hydrogen fuel cell or solar module as a power source
- Have an effective system that creates the fastest vehicle in a 9 meter race
- Make a car go at least 1 meter
- Use either a hydrogen fuel cell or solar module as a power source
- Have an effective system that creates the fastest vehicle in a 9 meter race
Generate Concepts
I chose a long body because I believe that being able to distribute weight and create less clutter of wires will create an effective and fast car for the race.
Based off information we gathered in the 1.3.1 packet I decided to pick a series circuit that had 4 double A batteries along with a solar panel as my power sources. A parallel circuit may also work as well but I believe that series will be more effective as the end result. Also, a solar panel is a better source than a hydrogen fuel cell because its current was higher and it produced a higher overall power output.
Other ideas include:
-triple A batteries
-solar and hydrogen fuel cell with a battery
-hydrogen fuel cell with 4 double A batteries
Other ideas include:
-triple A batteries
-solar and hydrogen fuel cell with a battery
-hydrogen fuel cell with 4 double A batteries
Develop a Solution
Construct and Test Prototype
The Race:
I placed 2nd in the race.
I placed 2nd in the race.
Evaluate Solution
My experience with all the power sources was great. The solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells posed a great obstacle that was fun to overcome in finding a way to make one of them affective along with a battery in a circuit without losing much overall power. I achieved this with a solar panel, my only problem was at one point I overloaded the system and the batteries began smoking. My results other than that were amazing, my car had great speed and worked in a series circuit. The day of the race though my circuit stopped working so I had to switch from series to parallel and that slowed my car done a little to make it slower than Silas’s which before it was faster by a lot. The only troubleshooting I did was amount of batteries and type. I found that my car worked best with 4 AA batteries and the solar panel. Other than that the only modification was the last minute switch of type of circuit, series to parallel. I don’t believe I had many mistakes but I do think that I should have tried more ideas and shouldn’t have been so narrow minded once my idea worked. This whole experience taught me there is many solutions to a problem and finding the right one isn’t always easy but it can be done through hard work and being diligent in what you do.
Present a Solution
Renewable resources can only be used to a certain extent because of limitations in our technology and being able to enhance and maximize the amount of energy that we obtain from the sources. For example, the sun will be around longer than humankind so while we can we can use its energy produced to power our lives and world. But, solar technology can only effectively obtain a certain percentage of the power and we can’t fully use it to its potential quite yet in our world. So the only limitation to renewable resources right now is us and that we need to develop better technology in harnessing renewable resources power.
Project Progression:
This photo is from when we first began modifications and all I had done so far is try a different driving wheel thinking of maybe creating a speed ratio, but I didn’t think of using gears.
After finishing testing with the wheels I decided to create a longer body so that the wires wouldn’t tangle and create a more simple time fitting in crucial pieces, like the batteries. This did help in the end so that I wasn’t cramming everything together and weight was distributed.
This is towards the end of the project. I began testing different circuits at this time and also trying different wheels again.