Nanyang Venture IV

Overview

Nanyang Venture IV (NV IV) is an internal combustion engine car, fueled by diesel. The car was specially designed and built for the annual Shell Eco-marathon Asia event which was held at Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the 6th to 9th of July 2011. The annual event challenges students to design, build and drive a vehicle that can travel the furthest distance on the least amount of fuel. The event was a maiden entry for Nanyang Technological University under the Prototype Diesel fuel category and also the only diesel car among the Singapore teams.

NV IV was the brainchild of a group of 8 Mechanical Engineering students under the guidance of Associate Professor Rohan Senanayake. The students were from Year 2 to Year 4 of their studies in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. These students came from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Indonesia.

The Challenges

The team must complete a total of 4 laps (11.2km) during every run, with a time limit of 23 minutes for each of the runs.

The next challenge for the team was to keep the weight of the car at a minimal without compromising the performance and safety standards of the vehicle. Every car at Shell Eco-marathon was scrutinised under the technical and safety aspects before they were given the green signal to go on the track. This required the team thinking out of the box and going the extra mile in the pursuit of weight reduction, with the safety and technical requirements of the organizers in mind. Lesser weight equals to lesser energy needed to move the vehicle at a required speed, thus lower fuel consumption. The obsession for lightness in the vehicle design resulted in our car being just 68kg. This was largely made possible by the carbon fiber reinforced plastic body shell which was just 10kg.

Another challenge was about the car’s efficiency. This was mainly catered for by using energy efficient parts and optimising the driving strategy. Some of the energy efficient parts include low rolling friction tyres and bearings. The teardrop shape was chosen to improve the car’s efficiency as it provided the lowest air drag profile. The design of the car was further optimized with numerous simulated wind tunnel testing.

Car Specifications

Chassis:

• Aerodynamic tear drop shaped body shell
• Carbon fiber reinforced plastic monocoque chassis with Kevlar honeycomb core and strengthening ribs
• Measures at 3010(L) x 1045(W) x 713(H) mm

Propulsion System:

• Propelled by a 211cc, 4HP diesel engine
• Maximum speed of 75km\h
• Rear wheel driven
• Compact two stage chain drive transmission with 7:1 gear ratio assembly
• Manually operated clutch transmission

Steering System:

• Ackerman steering geometry
• Removable steering wheel for fast driver extraction in the case of emergency
• Carbon fiber steering rods for lightness

Wheels:

• Low rolling friction tyres and bearings
• Camber, castor and toe adjustability

Telemetry System:

• GPS tied telemetry system with real team vehicle dynamics monitoring
• First person view onboard camera
• Push-to-talk button for driver to team communication

Team Members

Mentor

Visiting Assoc Professor Rohan Senanayake Division of Engineering Mechanics School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Student members