Team Summit Day #1 - Data Tracking and Emissions Testing

Later in the morning of Day #1 of the Qualified Team Summit, teams were introduced to representatives from Morey Corp. and Sensor’s Inc., who will respectively handle the competition’s Data Acquisition System and On-Road Emissions Testing equipment. 

The integration of the Data Acquisition System will not only make it possible for the judges to monitor the vehicles during the Stage Competitions, but will also allow the public to see these statistics. Through our education grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, we will be making a number of the telemetry measurements available via the competition’s education website, FuelOurFutureNow.com. 

Sensor’s Inc. brought one of the trailers that they use to measure vehicle emissions.  In addition to monitoring emissions, these trailers will also be utilized in the hill climb testing. 

 

Safety was a much-discussed topic at the Summit.  Because the competition is vetting production capable vehicles, it is imperative that they meet very stringent safety standards.  All vehicle designs must focus on safety, as safety will be the first priority in vehicle inspections. While the competition vehicles do not have to pass crash testing, they do have to be able meet FMVSS Safety standards. 

 With so many electric and electric hybrid vehicles in the competition, high voltage safety was an important presentation in the afternoon session.  Jody Nelson, the competition’s Senior Advisor, Energy Storage Technologies, reviewed high voltage safety standards and expectations with the teams.  This was a lively discussion complete with “shocking” stories and examples of what not to do and why.  We’re fortunate to have advisors like Jody and Dr. Jim Winkelman, who have extensive experience in the field of automotive electrical engineering, and who can guide the teams and the competition to ensure that everyone remains safe.

I heard a lot of great comments from the teams during the course of the Summit.  However, one comment that was particularly gratifying came from Kevin Smith of Illuminati Motor Works, who said, “Being here helps us to understand why the rules are written the way that they are. We may not always agree, but at least we understand the reasoning now, and safety is obviously a major concern.”

Julie Zona and I have the unique (and many days unenviable) position of trying to balance the teams’ competitive needs with the very real demands of the Tech Team, which is working to keep the competition both fair and safe. We have seen each of these groups work to find their footing and define their respective role in shaping and participating in the competition.  So, to hear the largely positive feedback from the Qualified Teams about the Guidelines and their understanding of the technical requirements and the logic that went into shaping these rules was rewarding.  There are still reviews that will occur on the Guidelines, but the spirit of cooperation shown at the Summit was invigorating.