Before Robotics.....
 

We did electric cars!!!
I am loading these photographs up before I loose them or they burn or something....plus I can share them
https://plus.google.com/photos/10513...27488441021617

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Wow. Those shorts!

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

That is pretty awesome!
Do you have any specs of the car? Especially the battery/motor that powers something like that?

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

What can I say... it was back in the day

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

That particular config
GE Forklift controller, 500amp with 5 sec bypass
GE starter motor for aircraft, 21 hp cont 7o hp peak
Trojan deep cycle batteries 100amp/hour in 96 volt configuration
car weighed about 3000lbs

We improved it a lot more, will load those pics soon...

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

I used an intenet time machine to find a post from a just graduated FRC student in 2032.

"Wow. Check out the Hair Mr. O used to have..."-Some student yet to be born...

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

3000 lbs is a whole lot of car, but I bet this car was still pretty quick. Formula Electric?

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

As long as it's about my hair and it's not something like, "What happend? You used to be so thin!"

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Yes Formula E

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

I was running 70 miles a week, marathoner, and was in my 20's now I am almost 50

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Here is the first car we built. As far as I know we were and still are the first HS in the US maybe the world to build a full sized electric car and race it.
https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/1EV

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

I love the "hybrid" trailer.

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

I am really awe struck at how awesome this is, and seeing a group of high school-ers doing something as large as converting an beater into an electric race car. And here I thought FRC was hard :P

Just wondering any numbers on how fast these things can go?

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

The converted Toyota went as high as 60 miles an hour, not in hybrid mode. In hybrid mode we could go a consistent 40 miles an hour with a 10 kw generator. It got 70 miles per gallon!

The other set of pics, the Formula E went about 100mph

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

This is kind of inspiring. I have been looking at colleges and ever since I heard of the collegiate hybrid race teams that has been one of my pluses.

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

We will be loading more pics soon. We did electric cars for 10 years, built 13 cars!

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Very cool stuff. I don't know of any high schools that did anything that fancy back then... we were racing electrathon, along with several other high schools in the area.

Just down the road from us, there is school that currently races the fastest electric pick-up truck in Canada.

But I've got to say... that formula electric looks pretty cool.

Jason

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Here are some videos I dug up from back then. I still need more time to scan and upload my old pics to the internet.....but in the meantime...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v73AykvQnI4

Here we got a reporter to drive our car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vS-z_bS07U

http://www.schooltube.com/video/8dba5e933956df0e6660/

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Here are some construction photos

https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/Fl

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Awesome!

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Here are more formula lightning pics in its 1st iteration

https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/Fe

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

2nd Iteration Formula Lightning

https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/Nfe


180hp 100+miles per hour
Optima Batteries in 336v config
Three phase brushless electric turbine-motor
Sabina Speed controller
vehicle weight 3000lbs

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Here is an electric car ralley we were in in CA, finished at Disney Land!
https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/Dis
We used a VW Rabbit, ugly as hell, got 80 miles per charge cost us $3000 to build it

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

and another

https://picasaweb.google.com/105131295243051980283/Arc

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Wow,
cool stuff!
we built electric cars as well competing in New Hampshire and Oregon, in addition to Hawaii from 1996-2008.
Here's an old newsletter from Hawaiian Electric when they sponsored the event.
http://www.heco.com/vcmcontent/Corpo.../0605_heco.pdf

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Looks familiar.
I cant remember if I saw an old FIRST robot of yours or the car, when I went to Arizona back in 2005 when I had students compete in ISEF. You folks had a display there in the exhibit hall, IIRC.

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Though about doing electrathons, hard to leave full size cars if you know what I mean...That is awesome that is some one else out there in FRC land that has done electric cars

Re: Before Robotics.....
 

Really cool stuff. I wish we could do the big cars, insurance is tough enough for what we are involved in. We also do an electrathon style program called NECA (National Electric Cart Association) here in Michigan. On the webpage, our car is the one front right. It's a really fun program where students from Coopersville High School run the whole thing.

Same basic thing as Electrathon, only we run a 3/8 or 1/2 mile oval track at 30-50 mph in a one hour endurance race.

We do this as a fall warm up for FRC to get kids into the mindset of creating something from nothing that has to perform reliably and safely. Last year we were in a crash and our car wasn't able to be saved, so we are starting with a brand new chassis and drive system to run in May.