Welcome to the OSUSVT
Quarterly Newsletter
This is the second quarterly
newsletter of the
OSU Solar Vehicle Team.
This letter is being sent to
friends and sponsors.
Please feel free to share
this with others who may
be interested in our team.
The first race for our vehicle
will be the American
Solar Challenge in July of
2007. This is a 2500 mile
race up North America
from Austin, Texas to Calgary,
Alberta. The race
will test the durability and
efficiency of solar cars
from universities all over
the world.
Thanks to the support
and cooperation of many
organizations and individuals,
our team has		 come far toward building
our solar car. We could
not have done what we
have without the support
from ATI Wah Chang,
RadiSys, the Nguyen family,
the OSU College of
Engineering, and many
others.
The OSUSVT is currently
working on building the
suspension, steering, and
frame of the car. Once
that is completed, we will
need to purchase batteries,
solar cells, a motor,
and materials for the carbon
fiber body.
In this issue of the
OSUSVT newsletter, you
will find updates on the
frame design and construction,
steering and		 Route for the American Solar Challenge

suspension construction as
well as details regarding our
increasing access to machine
shops, our financial
status, and the upcoming
Electrathon races to be held
at OSU.

Sponsors
Through generous businesses
and friends we have
already raised nearly 20% of
our proposed $100,000
budget. ATI Wah Chang,
Cipher Systems, and Davis
Tool Inc. have donated materials
of significant monetary
value. Boeing, the
Nguyen family, RadiSys
Corp., Jeld-Wen,Testec Llc.,
and several individuals have		 recently donated funds to
our team. These organizations
and individuals have
made it possible for us to be
where we are and have
encouraged our hard work
and determination to reach
our goals. A complete list of
sponsors can be found at
http://oregonstate.edu/
groups/solar/sponsors.php.
Thank you to our sponsors!


Titanium from ATI Wah Chang

Events

Electrathon races
The OSUSVT will be hosting two
Electrathon races in the upcoming
months. Electrathon America is an
organization that facilitates the racing
of electric powered go-carts in
order to improve awareness and
understanding of electric vehicles.
Designed and built by the participants,
the vehicles are raced by
high school students, college stu-		 dents, and community members. In
an Electrathon race, each participant
drives as many laps as possible
in an hour using a restricted weight
of batteries. This tests the efficiency
and durability of the vehicles.
These races are an opportunity for
the OSUSVT to get involved with
high schools and the community all
over the Pacific Northwest, as well

as recruit new members to the team.

The next Electrathon race is the
Third Annual OSU Invitational,
which will be held Sunday, May 14th
on the OSU campus. The second
race will be held at OSU on July
14th and 15th during Da Vinci Days,
Corvallis’s annual celebration of art,
science, and technology.
OSU’s Electrathon
Car
Starting line at an
Electrathon Race

The Next Several Months

Sponsorship Goals
In the next few months we will continue
building the frame, steering,
and suspension of the car. This
process would be expediated by
the purchase of a portable TIG
welder. We are seeking donations
to cover the $3,000 cost of a Miller		 Dynasty 200DX welder. After the
frame, steering, and suspension
have been completed, we will be
looking towards the purchases of
materials for the body of the car,
solar cells, batteries, and a CSIRO
hub motor. These will cost be-		 tween $5,000 and $20,000 each.
We will be requesting educational
discounts from the respective companies,
but will be searching for
funding to cover the remaining
costs.

Current Work

Frame
We have received a generous donation of titanium from ATI Wah Chang, a specialty metals company in Albany. Titanium is desirable for its high tensile strength and light weight and our frame is currently being re-designed to accommodate the donated material.

Our frame will be made even
lighter and stronger by adding
composite reinforcements to our titanium skeleton. Divinyacell, the material of surf boards, boats and some airplanes, will be used to reinforce the non-rigid titanium frame. We have purchased some of this material and are in the

 process of performing stress tests. This material will work alongside the titanium structure to restrict movement on the frame that would otherwise crack the brittle carbon fiber shell and solar panels.
A hydraulic press
applying 1 ton of
pressure to the
Davinyacell
Laying up Davinyacell
for stress tests.

ME Senior Design Project
Our team includes a group of three
mechanical engineering seniors
that are designing and building the
steering and suspension of the vehicle
for their senior project. This
group, along with other team members,
have already built the front
suspension and attached it to a

wooden mock-up of the frame.
They are currently working to decrease
the weight of the suspension.

The senior design group has purchased
gas shocks for the suspension
and a rack and pinion gearbox

 for the steering. Steering geometry
and turning radius have been optimized
during the designing of the
steering and suspension, and the
purchased parts reflect those optimizations.
Front suspension mounted on a
wooden mock-up of the frame

Machine Shop Access
The College of Engineering and
the Department of Physics at OSU
have created a position for a professional
machinist to support the
creation of our vehicle. This person
will be able to teach our team
members safety and techniques as

well as machine parts for us upon
request. The position will start in
June and will include at least 8
hours each week of paid help for
our team.
Our most complicated designs will
be sent to Hewlett Packard where

 several employees will be helping
us create parts using their CNC
milling machines. This will save us
both time and money, as well as
create a stronger bond between
OSU and HP.
Bob Boyer, our machinist,
helps John Nguyen fix the
Electrathon car before the
next race
 

Mission Statement

OSU SOLAR VEHICLE TEAM

Oregon State University Solar
Vehicle Team
103 Memorial Union Box #492
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
E-mail:
OSUsolarcar@lists.oregonstate.edu

 The Oregon State University Solar Vehicle Team (OSUSVT) is a
group of OSU students, staff, and faculty with the goal of creating a
solar powered vehicle to race in the North American Solar Challenge
and the World Solar Challenge in 2007. This is a group that provides
students with extended opportunities for hands-on engineering experience
and real life challenges. The team also provides an educational
opportunity in innovation and engineering, as well as an environment
where students will gain leadership and team building experience.
The vehicle will be an educational platform for many generations of
students.
The OSUSVT will distinguish OSU as one of a handful of universities
around the world that has undertaken the challenge of creating
a solar powered vehicle. It will also help build a network of communication
and cooperation between OSU departments and administrators,
OSU students, and businesses.