Problem Statement

Urban Concept Vehicle project is the client’s goal to create a flagship project which will demonstrate the abilities and skills of the Engineering department. The Vehicle will be designed based on the requirements of client and Shell Eco-Marathon, manufactured, and tested by NAU Engineering senior students. The participants of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) are also welcome to apply their knowledge and skills to help for completing the project. The end result will be a vehicle designed for fuel efficiency in an urban design using electric motors as the energy source to drive the vehicle and well finished interior including driver interface.

The complete Urban Concept Vehicle is divided in five subgroups: chassis-suspension, drive train, electrical, safety-braking-steering, and fairing-ergonomics. In addition to completing their own analysis, each subgroup must integrate their designs with the complete car by working with every subgroup. This team’s contribution to the final vehicle will be the design, manufacturing and implementation of the vehicle’s chassis and suspension systems. The Fairing will be created to cover the chassis and control systems of vehicle and to provide better aerodynamic performance. The Fairing will also determine the looks and impression of the vehicle. The interior design will be done based on the Ergonomics factor to provide driver and passenger comfort and their ease of access to control systems. This vehicle will have enough space for two people (including driver and passenger) which will represent practical design for driving in urban cities. The effectiveness of the vehicle will be tested at the Shell Eco-Marathon competition.

Shell Eco-Marathon

The Shell Eco Marathon Americas is an engineering competition held in downtown Houston, Texas, in early April, and hosted by Shell Oil Corporation. Started in 1939, it was a competition between scientists to create a vehicle with the highest mile per gallon capability. The current form of the competition is to encourage science and engineering students to explore new technological possibilities. Multiple schools participate in the prototype and urban concept divisions while aiming for the highest fuel efficiency using gasoline, diesel, hydrogen or electricity as energy sources. Shell hosts two competitions, the Prototype and the Urban Concept. The Prototype competition focuses on vehicles achieving the absolute maximum efficiencies possible for a vehicle that will transport a person on wheels with minimal size restrictions. The current overall record for a Prototype vehicle is held by the Polyjoule team from Polytech Nantes University of France with equivalent miles per gallon of 11,516.34 using a fuel cell power source. The Urban Concept competition is a more practical event, where vehicles are designed around use within an urban setting. The vehicles must complete two parking periods, where the vehicle comes to a complete stop for three seconds, during ten laps of the course. At the finish, officials measure the total fuel/energy used and rank the vehicles in a comparable miles per gallon value. The current overall record for an Urban Concept Vehicle is 1,757.52 equivalent miles per gallon using a fuel cell power source from the Hydro Cruisers team from the De Haagse Hogeschool of the Netherlands. The current America’s competition record is 437.2 equivalent miles per gallon by the Mater Dei High School’s Supermileage team from Evansville Indiana using an internal combustion engine. The UCV will participate in the urban concept division.