The human powered vehicle challenge

by Stewart McCoy

Some look like rockets. Some like tandem bicycles. Some can reach 50 mph. And some cost as much as $15,000.

They’re all human powered vehicles.

Each year the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) hosts the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC). The competition is open to teams of university students from all over the world.

This year, in addition to teams from all across the United States, some teams traveled from Venezuela, Ecuador, and India. A total of 96 teams entered the challenge’s 2 divisions—located in Portland, Oregon and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Innovative projects

The goal of the competition, according to ASME, is for students to “design and build aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that can be used for everyday activities—from commuting to and from work, to going to the grocery store.”

The competition has 3 vehicle classes: single rider, multi-rider, and utility. And the teams can compete in the design, sprint, and endurance events.

The teams come up with some really innovative projects says Zach Reinhart, graduate in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, and leader of Iowa State’s HPVC 2009 team.
“The University of Wisconsin–Madison entered a hand-powered vehicle designed for use by quadriplegics,” Reinhart says.

And Drexel University’s entry was originally designed as a pedal-powered vehicle with an electric assist, Reinhart says.

Valuable career preparation

A community college transfer student, Reinhart originally considered joining Iowa State’s Society of Automotive Engineers formula racing team. But what attracted him to the HPV team was the opportunity to be involved with multiple aspects of the project.

“One team member, Kris Cory, who is an electrical engineer, joined the team because he really wanted to learn how to weld,” Reinhart says. So there are lots of opportunities for great hands-on experience, he says.

“I’ve learned a lot about project management and about my strengths and weaknesses as a leader,” Reinhart says.

Overcoming obstacles

Brad Thomas is a 3-year HPV team veteran at Iowa State. He works primarily with the HPV’s drivetrain.

This year, the drivetrain broke during the safety trials in Philadelphia. The drivetrain was originally designed so that the same chain is used by both riders who would pedal forward and generate as much power as possible. However, Thomas and his teammates had to rebuild the drivetrain and alter it so that one rider pedals forward while the other powers backward.

Leah Smith, a student in mechanical engineering, worked to secure funding for the HPV project. She says that while the team spent approximately $2,000–$3,000 for this year’s vehicle, it was one of the less expensive vehicles entered into the HPVC in Philadelphia.

Smith also drove the vehicle during the challenge and says that while “it can be difficult to go up hills,” it’s really easy to drive.

Thomas says that participating on the HPV team has ultimately been important for developing his teamwork and communication skills.

“We really learned how to work within funding limits and a limited design framework,” says Thomas, who added that such lessons are valuable for career preparation.

Multimedia

If you would like to see HPVs in action at the 2009 HPVC, you can view video take by Drexel University on YouTube. View the video.

You can also view a photo gallery by Ray Canzanese, a member of Drexel’s 2009 HPV team. View the gallery .

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