Abstract

For the past 15 years engineering students at The Ohio State University�s Center for Automotive research have pushed the limits of electric vehicle technology on the race track. The Buckeye Bullet program evolved from open wheel formula electric racing, to battery electric landspeed racing, and now to hydrogen fuel cell landspeed racing. At each step along the way the student teams have harnessed the technology of the day, and pushed it to its absolute limits on the racetrack. The most recent program, the Buckeye Bullet 2, was based around hydrogen fuel cells from Ballard power systems. The team worked to gain a knowledge of fuel cells that rivals any group around the world. From there the team worked with Ballard to tear into the fuel cells and increase their 250kW power output to over 550kW continuous, doubling the power the system was originally designed to produce. From there the team worked to surround the fuel cells with a world class vehicle. Each was engineered to the extreme. Automotive technology is born on the racetrack. From disk brakes to seatbelts, the need for more performance pushes the engineering developments that eventually make their way to everyday passenger cars. The future will be no different. The innovations of this team will have a significant impact on the automobiles of the future. In the terms of �The Grand Challenges,� these developments will lead to sustainability of the transportation infrastructure and improvement of the urban infrastructure.

Submission Document

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