By Frank Ross
Unlike the usual fare of fire-breathing dragons that come off the line in prototypical high performance automotive competitions in this country, the vehicles involved in the fourth annual Formula Hybrid™ competition were looking forward to a “greener” propulsion system and that captured the imagination of the management at Storm Copper Components.
 SJSU's Formula-Hybrid entry cruises the track during performance trials. |
Storm Copper has a track record of commitment to the development of innovative technology but this project was set on a track of a different nature whose destination was of the same bent, so Storm was enthusiastic about sponsoring San Jose State University’s entry into the annual Formula Hybrid™ competition. This competition was the fourth annual, conducted by the prestigious Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and held in coordination with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
The Formula Hybrid competition is an educational program that serves to challenge and inspire teams of university undergraduate and graduate students to conceive their own design for hybrid-powered cars, and then to fabricate, develop and compete with other students from around the world. Students are required to work across disciplinary boundaries, such as electrical and mechanical engineering, and also to enlist the support of grants, awards and corporate sponsorships.
Although 100 pages of rules determined the outcome, teams are allowed great freedom and flexibility in the design of these vehicles, with the most significant requirement being a mandatory mechanical/electrical hybrid drive train. The concept given to students is to design and build a prototype vehicle that is to be ultimately produced for the consumer, so styling, acceleration, braking and handling performance are all factors that weigh heavily in the judging process.
 SJSU's team poses for a group photo at the track in New Hampshire. |
As the eleven student team members benefit from the experience, the underlying ambition of this program is to further the goal of developing a viable alternative to carbon based transportation. John Monson, Team Leader, sees the competition as an opportunity to demonstration to automotive consumers that hybrids are capable of high performance acceleration and handling characteristics that exceed the expectations of economical forms of transportation typical of the hybrid concept vehicle.
The 2010 SJSU entry was originally a gas-electric hybrid, but in the final weeks before the competition a booster exploded so they entered the full-electric powered division. That’s where Storm contribution to the program became a critical component.
 Copper sheeting was used for battery busbars to connect the 140 lithium iron phosphate batteries that supplied power to the experimental car’s propulsion system. |
According to the project’s electrical technical adviser, Matthew Kihlthau, the .24″ x 48″ copper sheet that Storm contributed to the project was used to fabricate the copper bus bar for fuses that provided the required electrical safety element for the competition, the copper sheeting also served as the battery bus plate used as the main connector for the 140 lithium iron phosphate batteries that supplied power to the experimental car’s propulsion system. The car’s electrical propulsion system, which enabled a top speed of 60 mph, with a capacity of 90 minutes or roughly 20 miles, produced 200 amps of continuous power, with a peak rating of 230 amps at 102.2 volts.
For this 4th annual competition – and SJSU’s first Formula-Hybrid challenge – the judging began in May at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where 30 teams from five countries presented their vehicles for a complicated mechanical inspection. Following the inspection, students made a presentation to industry experts from Toyota, Chrysler and other auto companies, touting the costs, design and marketing strengths of their vehicle. Once the inspections and presentations were completed, the racing began. Unlike typical auto races, where the checkered flag goes to the car that crosses the finish line first, this competition selects a winner based on the way the car is designed, built and most importantly the measured performance of drive train innovation and fuel efficiency.
 Copper bus bar was used for fuses that provided the required electrical safety element for the competition. |
San Jose State University’s team finished second in the Hybrid in Progress category, behind a collective effort fielded by Florida A&M/Florida State University. More importantly, the road to a more environmentally friendly form of automotive transportation in the future was advanced through the process of education, innovation, experimentation and the classic application of American ingenuity. Such are the things of the future, and Storm Copper’s commitment to alternative energy and innovation that will secure our nation’s future for both commerce and individual consumers.
For more information on the San Jose State University Formula-Hybrid project, check out the SJSU project Web site.
Here’s a competition summary video that illustrates the SJSU effort well.
If you have modular batteries in need of copper posts, plates or other connectors, non-plated or plated in bright tin, lead, lead-tin or other plating conducted entirely in-house, consider Storm Copper.
