Student News
At the Cal Poly Racing unveiling event in the Bonderson Projects Center in March, team members stand behind their three SAE competition cars for 2016. The vehicles are, from left, Formula, Formula Electric and Baja. For more on Cal Poly Racing, see www.calpolysae.org/.
Cal Poly Racing Ready to Roll L
ike Ford, General Motors or any of the giant automakers, Cal Poly Racing has discovered the efficiency of building multiple vehicles on the same chassis. When Cal Poly Racing unveiled its three Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competition cars for 2016 in early March, the big news was the club was ahead of last year’s pace because of streamlined manufacturing processes. “It’s efficiency with both design and manufacturing,” said Formula SAE Team Lead Matt Rounds (computer engineering). “Obviously, it’s a lot easier to make the same part two times rather than design and make two separate parts. For example, this year the suspension is nearly identical on both the combus-
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CAL POLY ENGINEERING
tion and electric Formula cars. The only difference is in the rear geometry on the electric car because of the mounting of the motor. All the linkages and the steering system all the way through to the uprights are identical on both cars.” Rounds said the increased efficiency and ability to start the test drives early should pay off when Cal Poly Racing’s three cars return to competition. The 2016 SAE schedule is: • Formula SAE Michigan (combustion only), May 11-14 at Brooklyn, Michigan. • Formula SAE Nebraska (combustion and electric), June 15-18 at Lincoln, Neb. • Baja SAE California, May 19-22 at Gorman, Calif. n
Nicholas Gholdonian, right, pushes fellow mechanical engineering major Alex Knickerbocker in the SAE Formula Electric car around Engineering Plaza following the unveiling of the club’s three cars for 2016.