The UBC Supermileage team is a group of 65 dedicated engineering students working to design and
build fuel efficient gasoline powered vehicles for the Shell Eco-marathon Americas and the Society
of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Supermileage Competitions. Our diverse team includes technical
students from mechanical, eng-physics, integrated, computer, electrical, chemical, materials, and manufacturing
engineering as well as business, science, and more.
What do we do?
Fuelathon competitions provide engineering and technology students with a challenging design project
that involves the development and construction of either a single-person, Prototype Concept or a
larger four wheeled Urban Concept car. Students design and build conventional
gas-powered, for the Prototype Concept, or battery electric-powered,
for the Urban Concept, ultra-efficient vehicles. As a team, we aim to set a world fuel economy
record and increase public awareness for fuel economy, efficiency, and sustainability. Students
become more sensitive to environmental issues as well as develop important project management
skills.
The Urban Concept Car is a more practical vehicle meant to bridge the gap between the
prototype vehicle and the vehicles you see on the road today. With the advent of
consumer level electric cars, we converted our Urban Concept to a battery electric
vehicle in 2018. It only competes at the Shell Eco-Marathon. Teams are required to
design the vehicle with a minimum of four wheels, larger stance, headlights, tail
lights, turn signals and other practical considerations that the average city vehicle
requires today.
Motor
Honda GXH 50
Chassis
1" Nomex
Our current Urban Concept vehicle uses a carbon fibre-Nomex sandwich where 1" of
lightweight Nomex honeycomb is sandwiched between layers of carbon fibre reinforced
polymer on both sides. The wider width of the Urban Concept chassis allows for the
chassis thickness to be reduced without compromising rigidity. The total weight of the
chassis (including all components except the engine) is approximately 120 lbs.
Casper
2-Gear Box
Steering
Formula 1 Style
The Urban Concept steering system is based on Formula 1 style steering. The steering
wheel operates like those found in regular cars, and switches for controls such as the
starter motor, lights, and windshield motor are situated in the centre area of the
wheel. Steering for this vehicle is operated through the front wheels.
MARK XIV
Prototype Class
The Prototype vehicle is a three wheeled, single-passenger vehicle meant to push the
limits of fuel efficiency. It competes in the Shell Eco-Marathon, and SAE Supermileage
competitions. This competition class has very few limits on design, allowing a number of
creative solutions in order to achieve extremely high fuel mileage. With optimization of
aerodynamics, weight, and rolling resistance, we maximize the performance of our heavily
modified engine.
Engine
Briggs Stratton 206
The engine used in our Prototype vehicle is a Briggs & Stratton Junior206. This engine
is standard for all teams in the SAE Supermileage Competition. This stock engine is
205cc’s with a maximum horsepower rating of 8 horsepower and a torque of 10 ft-lb. This
year, a custom cylinder head has been designed to increase the compression ratio from
8.5:1 to 12:1. This will achieve a decreased displacement from 205cc to 68cc, resulting
in a greater thermal efficiency.
Chassis
1.5" Nomex
Our current Prototype vehicle uses a carbon fibre - Nomex sandwich where 1.5" of
lightweight Nomex honeycomb is sandwiched between carbon fibre and Kevlar reinforced
polymer on both sides. The use of thicker Nomex than the Urban Concept is to compensate
for the narrower chassis, which is reduced in size to minimize weight. The total weight
of the chassis (including all components except the engine) is less than 80 lbs.
Drivetrain
Jackshaft
The newly innovated powertrain is configured as a two-stage, fixed-pulley reduction
system. As the name implies, there are two pulley reductions from the engine to the
wheel. The flexible drive of the powertrain has been switched from roller chains to
carbon fiber timing belts to optimize weight, while maintaining a high strength. In
addition, timing belts can deliver comparable efficiency to a roller chain system,
however, there is less maintenance associated with timing belts. By designing our
vehicle to run at a maximum speed of 50 km/hr, this system allows our engine to transmit
power at its optimal speed.
Steering
Handlebars
The Prototype vehicle steering system is similar to that of a motorcycle, where there
are two handlebars for steering, a throttle, and braking handlebars. The space inside
for the driver is very limited and the driver drives lying down, so this design allows
us to use the confined space efficiently. Steering for this vehicle is operated through
the front wheels.