Travel for a Penny a Mile: An Engineering Design Challenge Inspiring Student Engagement and Sustainable Living

Student engagement and success in engineering and science is paramount in developing the country’s needed technical workforce. Using actual critical engineering design challenges to inspire and engage students in design solutions to real problems is the path to achieving a high degree of student engagement. Sustainability, living better on less, and team projects that directly impact people’s lives speak to this generation of engineering students. Energy usage is one of the most critical engineering challenges we face today. Global warming due to harmful emissions from burning fossil fuels and rising gas prices as well as national security issues have driven people to look for new ways to reduce their fuel consumption and to live better on less. It has been known for some time that streamlining vehicles can dramatically improve their fuel economy and in electric vehicles, where energy is precious, you see more streamlined examples. In this study, an interdisciplinary, multi-university student team consisting of three visiting REU students mentored by the same faculty member (who were part of a large REU summer contingent) and three regular students investigated the research question of whether or not it makes sense, from both an economic and practical standpoint, to streamline a motorcycle for everyday use. (A motorcycle was chosen because they are more accessible and less regulated than cars). To answer this research question, the team gathered data on previous Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge events created by Craig Vetter, an American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame motorcycle designer, to test motorcycle fuel economy in real riding conditions. Mr. Vetter was invited to spend a week on campus talking with Engineering and Industrial Design Students about energy usage, streamlining, and aspects of fuel economy. As the realization of this design project, the team designed several components and constructed two streamlined motorcycles to compete in the Vetter Fuel Economy Challenges. This is the only student team involved in these challenges. All other participants are professionals. The faculty mentor met often with the REU students and took them to the three day event in MidOhio. The objectives were to design and fabricate a streamlined motorcycle system to perform comfortably when driven for at least 100 miles at 70 mph into a 30 mph headwind, carrying a useful load of at least four bags of groceries, and use the least amount of energy possible. The performance and fuel economy of the motorcycle was evaluated before and after streamlining. Examining data from several Vetter Challenges, dramatic improvement in the fuel economy of motorcycles after being streamlined is demonstrated. In parallel with the student team’s technical research, their individual reflections before, during, and after the project were formally gathered and analyzed. In this paper, the results of the Vetter Challenge competition are discussed along with students’ experience and reflections. Ongoing next steps and a pathway to implement this research at other schools are revealed. Background & Introduction P ge 26606.2 In the 1970s Craig Vetter, Designer created and designed things he wanted and found that other wanted them as well. He has always been captivated by the notion of “doing more with less” following the lead of Buckminster Fuller. In the mid-1980s he created the Vetter Fuel Economy Challenges and invited others to participate to see how far a vehicle could go on the least amount of fuel. Motorcycles which started with good fuel economy seemed like the place to begin. Vetter, who was famous for his motorcycle fairing designs, focused this challenge on streamlined motorcycles. At that time, the national speed limit was 55 mph and it was found though his competitions that a streamlined motorcycle could get as much as 450 mpg at that speed. Craig Vetter says, “If fuel ever becomes precious, then this is important otherwise most people don’t pay attention. We rely too much on foreign oil.” Fuel is precious today in electric vehicles. Terry Hershner riding a Vetter streamlined Zero electric motorcycle has travelled across the US three times and his riding time between charges has increased each trip with ever more effective streamlining. The first trip, streamlined he got 80 miles between charges. On his last trip, he achieved 200 miles between charges. The current Vetter Challenge is to travel 100-150 miles sitting upright comfortably using any type of fuel. The vehicle must be capable of traveling at 70 mph into a 30 mph headwind carrying 4 bags of groceries which can be loaded in 45 seconds. The goal is to have the vehicle be the first choice of vehicles in the garage. In the summer of 2013, three REU students funded by an NSF I/UCRC supplemental grant were chosen to work on a critical engineering challenge to reduce energy consumption in vehicles. These students were a subset of a larger group recruited to campus for various REU experiences. These three students were all mentored by the same faculty member. Research using these summer REU students was approved by the VT Institutional Review Board (IRB #13-561). These particular students were chosen for their diversity of disciplines, gender, and university. Two males and one female, one a sophomore from a small eastern university with a general engineering program, one a sophomore from a medium-sized west-coast university with a biomedical program, and one senior from a large eastern university in majoring in Biology and minoring in Scieneering. Not the typical engineering students who would be interested in an aerodynamic and mechanical engineering project, but who might be interested in a project that could benefit the United States and humanity.