Welcome to the official website of the Bradley University Shell Eco-Marathon senior design team!

Team Captain Amanda Doolittle in the drivers seat and 2015 primary driver Joyce Atadero with the 2013-2014 Bradley University Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle	2014-2015 Senior Design Team 15

 

Introduction to the Senior Design Project

The ME410/411 senior design project is an intense engineering exercise that spans the fall and spring semester for every mechanical engineering student at Bradley University.  This exercise requires students to use math and science skills to deliver a valuable solution that meets the needs of the client.  The course simulates the environment that engineers will experience in an industry setting.  In order to create this environment and strengthen design skills, each team is intentionally UNDER STAFFED, UNDER FUNDED, AND GIVEN TIGHT DEADLINES.  This method for a capstone project is effective and students that successfully run the gauntlet are well-prepared for real-world design projects and client presentations.  Students are immediately introduced to the engineering design process and are provided the tools to understand the client needs, formulate a set of solutions, design the chosen solution using engineering skills, and present the deliverables in order to pass the course.

At four “Gateways” throughout the year, each team must present an oral presentation open to the client, class, and public as well as a written report to the course coordinator.  An individual or team failure to meet the requirements of the Gateway will result in the immediate placement into a recovery process and additional presentations to the course coordinator in order to move on to the next stage of the design process.  In the end, the client receives roughly 1200 hours of mechanical engineering work under faculty guidance, all proposed deliverables, all intellectual property, and early access to graduating seniors for a fee of $5000.

Shell Eco-Marathon Background

The Shell Eco-Marathon began as a friendly fuel mileage competition in 1939 between two Shell engineers in Wood River, Illinois, USA.  The wager was to see which vehicle would travel the farthest on a gallon of fuel and the winning vehicle achieved 59.7 MPG.  The modern Shell Eco-Marathon competition is worldwide with three separate regional competitions in the Asia (Manila, Phillippines), Americas (Detroit, MI), and Europe (Rotterdam, Netherlands).

Shell Fiat used in the friendly wager between Shell engineers	Competitor in the 1985 Shell Eco-Marathon competition in Europe

The Shell Eco-Marathon Americas challenges students to design, build, and drive the most energy efficient vehicle for the competition in Detroit, Michigan on April 9 through April 12, 2015. There are two categories of competition: Prototype and Urban Vehicle. For the competition, either internal combustion or electric mobility can be chosen with only one fuel source for the vehicles. Students will drive their prototype vehicle in accordance with the rules and regulations outlined by the event organizers. Teams are awarded based on fuel efficiency based on usage over a set distance. This year, the track is laid out on the streets of Detroit, MI and is 0.9 miles long.

Track Map for the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon competition in Detroit, MI

Design Goals

Learning from the design achievements, struggles, and failures of the past teams, we plan to successfully complete all trials at competition and achieve a Bradley University record in the range of 600-1000 MPG.

Bradley University at the Eco-Marathon

Bradley University has competed three times at the Shell Eco-Marathon competition beginning in 2012.

2011-2012

The inagural Bradley University Shell Eco-Marathon team with the "Jobst Jalopy" at competition in Houston, Texas

Jobst Jalopy in action at competition

The inagural run for Bradley University at the Shell Eco-Marathon was a learning experience that set the stage for future teams.  The team, with limited automotive experience, successfully built the vehicle in time for competition to compete.  Unfortunately an official run was not completed due to tire failures of the pneumatic bicycle tires.

2012-2013

2013 Eco-Marathon vehicle at competition in Houston, Texas

The 2013 vehicle from Bradley University was the first team to make an official trial run, achieving 233 MPG.  Changes from the previous year include a switch to an aircraft fabric body and an open cockpit design.  In addition, solid rubber front tires were used to prevent tire failures on the bumpy streets of Houston.  Unfortunately, there were issues with the wheel assembly falling off due to a nut that did not fasten the upright and the team was unable to complete all trials.

2013-2014

2013-2014 Bradley University Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle at competition in Houston, Texas

The 2014 vehicle switched to a fuel injected engine from a 2013 Honda Metropoliotain scooter and continued with the open-cockpit design with aircraft fabric.  The team achieved an official trial run with 309 MPG but unfortunately the final drive chain fell off preventing all runs from being completed.