Tracking Sub-Team Progress: A Closer Look at Our Recent Updates

Gracyn Speter Principal Lead

We are continuing to make steady progress toward having the drivetrain components installed in the car by the end of the semester. A preliminary motor test is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

As the academic year winds down, we’re prioritizing knowledge transfer—especially in areas like design, CNC machining, and welding—to ensure the next generation of team members is well-prepared.

Matthew Rieck Drive Train Team Lead

Drive Train has been prototyping a new battery box design that leverages the full potential of our chassis layout. We’ve also been transitioning the tractive system schematic into a more robust PCB design and finalizing the cooling loop. In addition, we recently placed an order for our battery management system (BMS). On top of design work, we have also been working to get our motor securely mounted.

This image shows our radiator and fan attached to the rear of the car.

All of these efforts support our primary goal for the semester: to have the car running safely under battery power. The battery box ensures that we can store and utilize our batteries securely and efficiently. The BMS is a critical component of our safety circuit, enabling us to monitor voltage, current, and cell temperature, helping us to prevent thermal runaway. The tractive system design ensures safe and efficient current flow from the accumulator to the motor controller using relays that allow us to provide the motor controller with the full voltage of the accumulator only once it has been charged, preventing a short circuit. Meanwhile, the cooling loop helps regulate temperatures for the accumulator, motor controller, and motor, ensuring stable performance and safety. Having the motor mounted will help us in testing with a more realistic setup.

As we move closer to testing components under battery power, our focus will shift to implementing additional elements of the shutdown circuit. This includes installing the shutdown buttons, the accumulator management system, and other essential monitoring devices that will enable us to operate the car safely and reliably.

Jack O'Donnell Suspension and Chassis Team Lead

It’s been a productive semester so far, with lots of progress across the team.

One of my main focuses has been redesigning our rear uprights to accommodate new brake calipers. It was essential to maintain the original pickup points to preserve our suspension geometry. Once the design was finalized, I machined the new uprights in-house using our HAAS Super Mini Mill 2.

Our newer team members have also been making great contributions. Oren (freshman) has been working on fabricating the firewall using 5052 aluminum. Since our water jet has been down, we’ve had to outsource some parts through SendCutSend to stay on track.

Abby (sophomore) has been CNC machining spindle spacers to fit between the wheel bearings in the uprights. Wesley (freshman) has been focused on implementing anti-dive geometry and routing brake lines. Will (sophomore) has been working on designing and building an undertray, and Owen (freshman) has taken on the challenge of constructing a curing oven so we can begin producing carbon fiber body panels in-house.

What’s Next:

Up next for our team:

• Remanufacturing the pedal tray

• Plumbing the brake lines

• Cutting and machining new brake rotors using the water jet and CNC

Parker Sterling President

Thanks for following along with our progress—we're looking forward to showing off more soon! For more updates, please follow us on our social media.

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