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SEMA 2012 - Day 3

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:53:15 +0000

We were expecting a lot from this third competition day. Yesterday, late in the night, the car had successfully run by itself inside the Convention Center. However, as the new rules forbid us to refill our fuel tank after 19:00, we quickly ran out of gas. We woke up early this morning to pass the last inspections and therefore gain access to the track as soon as possible. We finally got everything working in time only for the last run of the day. Obviously, Shell Eco-Marathon wouldn’t be the same without additional problems and, while waiting in line (see photo), we had some troubles with the engine and had to let other participants go before us. Once we were finally ready, it was announced that it was too late to let another vehicle start, so we went back to the paddock and continued tuning the motor. As of now, it’s working much more steadily. The main problem was that the air to gas ratio was too high, particularly when the engine was hot. While more adjustments have to be made, we are confident that we will register at least one run tomorrow!

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

SEMA 2012 - Day 2

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Yesterday was a very busy day and we didn’t have enough time to post a complete recap of the day. The first thing we noticed after arriving was that our brake system was not powerful enough, and that one of the lever was leaking. A lot of effort was invested in solving the problem, and we decided to buy a new lever in a bike shop this morning. This was critical because we had to pass plenty of safety inspections including brake inspection. We went through all the inspections which do not require the engine to be operational. As usual, the engine needed a lot of adjustments. Unfortunately, we also had a few problems with the starter and the electronic system. Those problems delayed us in our schedule but we managed to fix them. We are now heading to a night of modifications and fine tuning to be ready to compete. If everything occurs according to our plan, we will pass the last inspections tomorrow morning and if everything goes well, we will be in position to record our first runs.

The vehicule's weight being measured. The official result is 94 lbs!

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

SEMA 2012 - Day 1

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:30:00 +0000

We are now in Houston! We had a few problems, and the inspection has not been made yet. However, the team worked hard and we are optimists for tomorrow. We are now testing the motor and we expect its first start soon. Let's cross our fingers!

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Imminent Departure

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:03:48 +0000

We are preparing our participation to the Shell Eco-marathon. In fact, the team will fly Wednesday to Texas where the competition takes place. It begins officially Thursday afternoon, but we will record the first tests on Saturday. We are extremely proud to announce that the new car’s body is now finished and that we will participate to a competition for the first time with it. It is the result of two years of work and, of course, we hope to see them rewarded.

Three weeks ago we had the chance to participate at the “Salon de l’auto” of Quebec with two other student projects, the “Formule SAE” and the “Baja”, both of them from the department of mechanical engineering. We want to thank all our partners of this season, without them all of this will not be possible.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Happy Holidays!

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:49:55 +0000

Happy Holidays from all the team!

Thank you for your support!

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Presence at the “gala de l’ADRIQ”

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:38:24 +0000

Tuesday, November 22nd was held on the 21st ADRIQ’s gala to celebrate and reward innovation in Quebec. For the occasion, Hydro-Québec organized the event "La relève au Gala" in order to show what are the best innovations among young people. Therefore, two team members went to Montreal to present the project to the guests. Later that evening, the telecommunication company Ericsson had invited one of the members to sit at their table. The event has certainly allowed us to expand our contacts in the world of technology in Quebec.

The whole team gratefully acknowledges ADRIQ, Hydro-Quebec and Ericsson for this enjoyable evening.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Here we go again!

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:26:11 +0000

New faces at meetings, noise in the workshop and resin full fingers, there is no doubt that the 2011-2012 season is well and truly begun.

This year is definitely one of the busiest, with the new chassis that offers tremendous possibilities in addition to giving us the opportunity to review the design of some components of the vehicle. The goal for this year is, first, to complete the manufacture of the prototype and then to participate to two annual competitions, the SAE Supermileage in Michigan and the Shell Eco-Marathon in Texas.

If you want to associate with a project, such as ours, our sponsorship plan is available on this website. You will find all the necessary details.

Stay tuned for news of the team!

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

A busy year that ends

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:22:19 +0000

SAE Supermileage competition ended today and we had obtained the second place. The team is disappointed, but we would like to congratulate the University of Sherbrooke’s team, Infinity, for their victory. In summary, because the car came back from Germany only one day before leaving, problems that had occurred during the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe were still present and we had to address several ones related to the engine. This took much of the first day, which meant that we have passed the inspections on the second day. The first night was used to refine the vehicle so that it would be ready for the second and final day of competition. Rain and cold weather were unfortunately part of the beginning of the next day, limiting the time for testing on the track. However, we enjoyed a thinning to record a first result, rather disappointing, of 1579 mpg. Temperature, very cold, really did not help, but this result suggested the presence of unwanted losses in the vehicle. After several adjustments, we were confident for the second test, but the rain took over the game, this time with thunder, ensuring that all teams had to wait an hour before the track reopened. Finally, when the weather was good enough, we had about 1h30 to save the more testing possible. The second test was the most difficult, because of the fog on the windows; making driving extremely difficult (The pilot used her feet to wipe the fog so she could see!). The test result: about 1610 mpg, we were still very disappointed. Again, the cold weather really did not help, but the vehicle should have done better. Then, there was time for only one last test. Some lubrication and changes in the ECU and we were on the track again. This time, the changes were good and the vehicle was operating at the height of his abilities. After six laps without fail, we were very confident that our results would significantly improve. To our astonishment we found ourselves with a final result of only 467 mpg! We were stunned, only to find a major leak in the fuel supply system. We are not sure of the point at which this problem has manifested itself, but it could explain the results of the day if it was present from the beginning and it has gotten worse after. In short, lack of time, we could not do further testing, which ended the day on a disappointing note.
After a year full of new experiences, we cannot wait to use the new vehicle, which unfortunately could not be ready for the SAE Supermileage. We had an extremely busy year, for the design and manufacture of a new monocoque carbon fiber, a new steering system, new carbon wheels, a new electronic system in addition to participate in three competitions in 2011. Our performance this year might certainly not always lived up to our expectations but our efforts this year will definitely be rewarded in the years to come. We also take the time to thank all our partners without whom this year our many projects would not have been possible.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.