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The Formula Hybrid competition consists of a variety of dynamic and static challenges called events. Throughout the events, students assume the role of a design team engaged to create a prototype vehicle. Teams demonstrate their creativity and project management skills, as well as their vehicle’s performance and durability. The challenge is to create a vehicle that is road-worthy and prevails over other designs. Events are scored to determine how well a vehicle performed across each competing event.
The cars are evaluated on their accelerating abilities from a standing start in a straight line over a distance of 75 meters.
The objective is to evaluate the car’s maneuverability and handling qualities on a tight course without the hindrance of competing cars. The course will combine the performance features of acceleration, braking and cornering into one event.
Over a distance of 44 kilometers the cars have to prove their durability under long-term conditions. Acceleration, speed, handling, dynamics, fuel economy, and reliability all come into play.
The students explain their constructive solutions to a jury of experts from the automotive and motorsport industries in report and discussion. The concept of the design event is to evaluate the engineering effort that went into the design of the car and how the engineering meets the intent of the competition. The car that illustrates the best use of engineering to meet the design goals and the best understanding of the design by the team members will win the design event.
The objective of the project management event is for teams to convince a review board that their project has been carefully planned, effectively and dynamically executed. Constrained by scope, time, and budget, students will develop a project management plan which demonstrates their skill and techniques necessary to execute the project.
The Project Management component consists of three parts: submission of a written project plan, a written interim report, and a final oral presentation to be delivered before a review board at the competition.
The endurance event is the most challenging, and takes place on the NHMS road course. This one kilometer hill section offers serious elevation changes – two climbs per lap totaling more than seventy-two feet. All the vehicles begin with fully charged accumulators (batteries or capacitors). These may be charged from the grid, as is the norm for a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Hybrids are then given an additional allocation of liquid fuel so that all hybrid vehicles start with the same amount of energy. Electric-only vehicles must complete endurance with the energy contained in their accumulators.
