Illini EV Concept Team Photo at Shell Eco Marathon 2018
Weight is the enemy of all teams that design electric cars for the Shell Eco Marathon.
Reducing the weight of electric cars improves the vehicle’s acceleration and power efficiency. These performance improvements make all the difference come race day.
However, if the car’s weight is reduced too much, it could lead to safety concerns.
Illini EV Concept (Illini) is a Shell Eco Marathon team out of the University of Illinois. Team members use ANSYS academic research software to optimize the chassis of their electric car without compromising safety.
Where to Start When Reducing the Weight of Electric Cars?
Front bump composite failure under a load of 2000N.
The first hurdle of the Shell Eco Marathon is an initial efficiency contest. Only the best teams from this efficiency assessment even make it into the race.
Therefore, Illini concentrates on reducing the most weight in the shortest amount of time to ensure it makes it to the starting line.
Illini notes that its focus is on reducing the weight of its electric car’s chassis.
“The chassis is by far the heaviest component of our car, so ANSYS was used extensively to help design our first carbon fiber monocoque chassis,” says Richard Mauge, body and chassis leader for Illini.
“Several loading conditions were tested to ensure the chassis was stiff enough and the carbon fiber did not fail using the composite failure tool,” he adds.
Competition regulations ensure the safety of all team members. These regulations state that each team must prove that their car is safe under various conditions. Simulation is a great tool to prove a design is within safety tolerances.
“One of these tests included ensuring the bulkhead could withstand a 700 N load in all directions, per competition regulations,” says Mauge. If the teams’ electric car designs can’t survive this simulation come race day, then their cars are not racing.
Iterate and Optimize the Design of Electronic Cars with Simulation
Front bump deformation under a load of 2000N.
Simulations can do more than prove a design is safe. They can also help to optimize designs.
Illini uses what it learns from simulation to optimize the geometry of its electric car’s chassis.
The team found that its new designs have a torsional rigidity increase around 100 percent. This is after a 15 percent decrease in weight compared to last year’s model.
“Simulations ensure that the chassis is safe enough for our driver. It also proved that the chassis is lighter and stiffer than ever before. ANSYS composite analysis gave us the confidence to move forward with our radical chassis redesign,” notes Mauge.
The story optimization story continues from Illini. It plans to explore easier and more cost-effective ways to manufacture carbon fiber parts. For instance, the team wants to replace the core of its parts with foam and increase the number of bonded pieces.
If team members just go with their gut on these hunches, they could find themselves scratching their heads when something goes wrong. However, with simulations, the team makes better informed decisions about its redesigns and manufacturing process.
To get started with simulation, try our free student download. For student teams that need to solve in-depth problems, check out our software sponsorship program.
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