P132 Solar Hydrogen Vehicle

JAMS Vehicle

Chou POE Period 7

11/1/18 -11/16/18
By: Jeff Cheema, Artemis Del Russo, Soumya Kakarlapudi,
Muhammad Tariq
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 2

Table of Contents
Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Design Brief 3-4

Initial Vehicle Solution 5

Testing Summary (Data Value Tables and 6-11

Modifications)

Power Source Evaluation/Conclusion 12

References 13

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 3

Design Brief

Client: Tesla

Designers: Artemis Del Russo, Jeff Cheema, Soumya

Kakarlapudi, Muhammad Tariq

Problem Statement: Tesla needs insight for how to use solar and
hydrogen to power their cars. We are
providing them with a prototype of a vehicle
that will be able to use the two power sources
in the vehicle that we built.

Design Statement: Create an efficient vehicle in which the power

source can be easily switched between solar
and hydrogen in order to determine the better
source

Constraints: ● Made using only materials in the

equipment list
○ Hydrogen fuel cells & Solar
cells
○ Breadboard and wires
○ UV lamps
○ Distilled water
○ 1 VEX 393 motor
○ Various FT/VEX parts
○ Timing Device
○ Multimeter
○ Banana plugs and wires
○ Spring scale
Power Sources Required:
○ 1 solar cell
○ 2 solar cells in series or
parallel
○ 1 hydrogen cell
○ 2 hydrogen in series or parallel

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 4

● Able to hold the solar molecule or

hydrogen fuel cell securely and run
without tipping the fuel cell
● Must use a breadboard to be able to
easily change between power source
configurations for testing purposes
● No larger than 5 in x 12 in

Individual Deliverables: ● Design Brief Notes & Team Norms

● Brainstorming Ideas
● Project Log
● Table of Measurements
● Calculations
● Conclusion

Team Deliverables: Documentation of vehicle

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 5

Initial Vehicle Solution

The original design of the hydro-solar car consisted of three wheels, a simple gear train, and a
platform for mounting the hydrogen and solar cells. In this design we wanted to achieve three
things: minimal use of metal (in order to reduce weight), have an easy way to change out power
sources, and to minimize friction to maximize efficiency. In order to minimize the use of metal,
we tried to implement standoffs wherever possible. For example, instead of using c-channels to
mount the solar cells and hydrogen cells we opted for standoffs due to lightweight but also their
versatility. In the design above, the standoffs create a frame of sort so that the power sources can
slide in. This allows for the power supply configuration to be changed on the fly with minimal
trouble. In order to minimize friction, we opted for one wheel in the front since we deemed two
wheels in the front unnecessary. One wheel means less contact with the ground resulting in
overall less friction. Also to increase efficiency there will be a simple gear train from the motor
to the wheel. The power supply configurations would be done in parallel for the solar and
hydrogen and we built a secure lock that would help hold the breadboard in place when the
vehicle was moving. The secure lock was compatible with both the solar and hydrogen cells.

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 6

Testing Summary Table

Modifications

Image Modification Description

Instead of simply having standoffs to mount

the hydrogen and solar cells we opted to use a
combination of collars and screws to mount
both securely. When the two protruding
screws are turned right they tighten the screw
since making it harder to turn. Eventually, this
will lock and the solar panels can be mounted.
Once locked, it can be unlocked and turned
loose and allowed for the hydrogen cell to be
placed into the standoff “frame.” With the
screws loose they do not interfere with the
hydrogen cell.

Instead of having the the bread board laying

down flat we opted with a vertical mounting
solution. This mounting solution is more
space efficient and also reduces the need for
long wires since the space between the
breadboard and the power supplies are
reduced.

Instead of using a full Vex C-channel like

before we used the thinner and smaller bars.
These drastically reduced the length and
overall weight of the vehicle. One downside
we had with this modification was the
mounting of the platform but we quickly
found a viable solution.

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 7

Due to the change to the thinner bars, we had

to come up with a new mounting system for
the platform. To do this we used a
combination of spacers, screws, and standoffs.
This mounting solution was both secure and
ensured that the hydrogen cell would not
shake and spill water.

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 8

Calculations/Measurements

1 Solar

Time: ​5.16 seconds Mechanical Power:

P = F *t D
P = 0.7N
5.16S
*1M

P = 0.136W

Force: ​0.7 Newtons Electrical Power:

P =I *V
Voltage: ​2.64 Volts P = .134A * 2.64A
P = 0.354W

Amperage: ​.134A Efficiency:

E f f = power out
power in *
100%
power out
E f f = power in * 100%
0.136W
E f f = 0.354W * 100%
E f f = 38.42%

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 9

2 Solar

Time: ​4.6 seconds Mechanical Power:

P = F *t D
P = 1.5N *1M
4.6S
P = 0.326 W

Force: ​1.5 Newtons Electrical Power:

P =I *V
Voltage: ​2.68 Volts P = .162A * 2.68V
P = 0.434 W

Amperage: ​.162A Efficiency:

E f f = power out
power in *
100%
power out
E f f = power in * 100%
0.326W
E f f = 0.434W * 100%
E f f = 75.11%

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 10

1 Hydrogen

Time: ​20.1 seconds Mechanical Power:

P = F *t D
P = 0.2N
20.1S
*1M

P = 0.01 W

Force: ​0.2 Newtons Electrical Power:

P =I *V
Voltage: ​0.65 Volts P = .147A * 0.65V
P = 0.095 W

Amperage: ​.147A Efficiency:

E f f = power out
power in *
100%
power out
E f f = power in * 100%
0.01W
E f f = 0.095W * 100%
E f f = 10.52%

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 11

2 Hydrogen

Time: ​18.8 seconds Mechanical Power:

P = F *t D
P = 1.5N
18.3S
*1M

P = 0.079 W

Force: ​1.0 Newtons Electrical Power:

P =I *V
Voltage: ​0.94 Volts P = .143A * 0.94V
P = 0.134 W

Amperage: ​.143A Efficiency:

E f f = power out
power in *
100%
power out
E f f = power in * 100%
0.079W
E f f = 0.134W * 100%
E f f = 58.96%

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 12

Power Source Evaluation/Conclusion

Looking over the various configuration and combinations of solar and hydrogen cells it
seems that the most efficient and effective solution was two solar panels wired in parallel. The
efficiency of this configuration was 75.11%. The times for solar panels consistently beat out the
times for the hydrogen cells. The average time for the solar cells was 4.88 seconds compared
hydrogen’s 19.45 seconds. In terms of efficiency, solar was average 22.025% more efficient
indicating that as long as there is an equal amount of each type of cell, solar is the better
performer. Solar could also produce more force compared to hydrogen, hydrogen could only pull
0.6 Newtons on average compared to 1.1 Newtons by solar.
Our final recommendation for Tesla is to go with a solar-powered car. A solar-powered
car is faster and more efficient overall. With a higher efficiency, the car can run for a longer
period of time using less energy. One downside to solar is that there is not always a constant
light source. During the night the sun not is out which makes it impractical for a solar car to be
sold. One solution to this is to have the car be a hybrid of sort. During the day, the car runs off of
solar and when the car is not in use, it charges a battery which is used when there is no light
source.
In terms of improvements that could be made, the wheels could be switched out to ones
which a larger circumference. This would increase linear velocity which would, in turn, increase
the overall efficiency of the system. Instead of switching out the larger wheels, we could also
change to a compound gear ratio which would increase angular velocity, increasing our overall
efficiency.

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18
 Del Russo, Cheema, Kakarlapudi, Tariq 13

References
Zurschmeide, Jeff. “Hydrogen Cars Are Here. Now How Long until You Can Actually Fuel One
near You?” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 26 July 2018,
www.digitaltrends.com/cars/hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-thriving-california/.

Signatures/Dates:

Artemis Del Russo 11/16/18 ​Jeff Cheema 11/16/18 ​Soumya 

Kakarlapudi 11/16/18 ​Muhammad Tariq 11/16/18