Problem Statement Page
| Date Completed: 29 November 2006 |
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Table of Contents |
| Team: Solar Car |
Problem Statement
With the Solar Car already having batteries and a motor, the Solar Car needed a driver interface in order to control the acceleration and velocity of the car. This interface was tremendously important in allowing the Solar Car to begin moving. With an extremely confined environment around both the driver’s hands and feet, the accelerator needed to be space conservative. Furthermore, with the Solar Car’s budget being very limited, the solution to the accelerator problem needed to be particularly inexpensive. Another problem that was faced was that the accelerator needed to be manufactured and installed as soon as possible in order to make the Solar Car drivable by the end of the semester.
The environment around the driver’s feet currently is only large enough accommodate the braking system. Furthermore, the space immediately around the driver’s hands is fairly cramped. These needs gave rise to the constraints that the accelerator must be small and unobtrusive to the driver. Also, the accelerator needed to be readily accessible in order to facilitate a smooth and comfortable drive.
Finally, due to the fact that relatively no solar cells have been bought by former teams for the car, the Solar Car Team must purchase the bulk of them. To fully cover the car’s shell, it requires six rows of 100 cells. One row alone will cost roughly $1,000. Due to this high expenditure and a tight budget, the Solar Car Team agreed to limit costs of other parts as much as possible. Therefore, the accelerator needed to be a very inexpensive addition to the Solar Car.
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