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UVM AERO at Thunder Road!
Race enthusiasts will get to cheer on UVM students on Thursday, August14 before the race (betwe en 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.) at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont as the UVM AERO hybrid car speeds around the track. What's unusual about this car is it runs on both gas and lithium batteries!
“GreenSpeed” is the 1st UVM hybrid racing car created by a team of energetic UVM students from the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences new student organization called Alternative Energy Racing Organization (AERO). AERO received Second Place in Technical Design (behind Embry-Riddle) during its participation in the International Formula Hybrid Competition with other teams from as far away as Russia, Canada and Taiwan at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH May 5-7, 2008. The car also received Best Hybrid-in-Progress Award, Chrysler's Best Hybrid System Engineering Award, and the Thayer School Dean's Award: Most Innovative Design Award.
Weighing approximately 600 pounds, the car has a 40 horsepower electric motor and a 40 horsepower gas engine for optimum speed! The UVM team designed “GreenSpeed” as a parallel hybrid with front regenerative braking. “These two things have not been done before”, says Doug Fraser, professional engineer from Dartmouth.
“This new hybrid car burns gas more efficiently through regenerative braking with a smarter engine that gets more gas joules onto the road,” says Andrew Laing, chair of IEEE and AERO team leader. The car, sporting Hosier racing wheels and Weld racing hubs, is really two cars in one!
Directions to Thunder Road:
I-89 to exit 6, down limited access
road to bottom, turn left at light (Rte 14). Go about 1 mile to Quarry Hill Road, turn right. Up hill to Fisher Rd. (just before 2nd RR tracks), turn left. Track at end on right.
For more information visit: http://www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com/
The major UVM students who have worked on AERO include: Andrew Laing, senior in
engineering management and electrical engineering, attended Lyndon Institute, in Lyndon Center, Vermont.
Brian Leach, sophomore in mechanical engineering,AERO Leader for mechanics on the car, attended Burr & Burton Academy, Manchester, VT.
Ed Johns, senior in electrical engineering, worked on control systems and is head of
electrical team, and is from Groton, Vermont.
Christopher Farmer, senior in electrical engineering, created the battery system, and attended Colchester High School in Colchester Vermont.
Student team video can be
viewed on UTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9iQZ4D51dI
For more information visit: www.Formula-hybrid.org
For more nformation visit: http://www.cems.uvm.edu/~aero
Team officers contacts:
Andrew Laing, Team Leader of Executive Team: 861-2443
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Brian Leach, Vice President & Technical Team Leader 802-999-4657
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Christopher Farmer, Team Leader, Battery System
Ed Johns, Team Leader, Electrical
Thatcher Friant, Treasurer
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Advisors: Jeff Frolik ,Assistant
Professor, UVM CEMS School of Engineering
Phone: 802.656.0732
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Paul Hines, Assistant Professor, UVM
CEMS School of Engineering
Phone: 802-656-9660
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Technical Assistant:
Floyd Vilmont, UVM CEMS Prototype
Lab, 122E Votey Phone: (802)656-4673
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Sponsorships and donations for the UVM Hybrid Car
The UVM AERO’s cost is currently approximately $30,000 which has been made possible by generous donations from a variety of sponsors.
Financial Support: APR (Anderson Power Products), Mr. Ronald Brand, CTS Corporation, Hazelett Strip-Casting, IEEE Green Mountain Section, ITherm Technologies, MicroStrain,
PowerStream Technology, Tyco Electronics, Vermont Space Grant Consortium, UVM
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the UVM Transportation Center, and Dr. John Cohn and Ms. Diane Mariano. Individual donors: Carrie and Nathan Stahler, Charles Lohe, James C. Iatridis, Jeff Frolik, Karyn Roberts and Saiyid Abu Rizvi.
In-Kind Support: Clarkson University, Capitol Steel, Hazelett Stri-Casting, Midtown Machine & Tool Supply Company, NSA Industries, Lyndon, VT, Omron, Tri-Angel MetalFab, and the UVM Instrumentation and Model Facility (IMF).
Technical Support: eVermont, iTherm Technologies, and SBElectronics.
Dawn Densmore,
Director, Outreach & Public Relations
UVM, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Phone: 802-656-874 |
Champion Late Model stock car drivers Cris Michaud and Robbie Crouch have filed the first two entries for the 30th Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Sun., August 31. Both drivers are feature winners at the historic 1/4-mile oval in 2008. Michaud, of Northfield, VT, is in the thick of the “King of the Road” track championship battle with three victories to his credit. Crouch, originally of Tampa, FL, earned his first Thunder Road win in nearly 20 years last month.
Crouch added the most recent chapter to his storied career on July 25, scoring a 50-lap main event in front of an enthusiastic packed house. The win marked the first for the “Tampa Tornado” since his Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl victory in September 1990. He previously won the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 in 1977.
In addition to the racing program, the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Alternative Energy Racing Organization (AERO) will debut its multiple award-winning “GreenSpeed” hybrid race car for an on-track demonstration. Brian Leach, Vice President of AERO and Technical Team Leader, will drive the open-wheel GreenSpeed car around the Thunder Road high banks in its first on-track performance.