Design, safety and performance put to coast-to-coast test

The 2005 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge took place on the East and the West coasts during the last weekend in April, where aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that have been known to achieve speeds of more than 60 mph, competed and were judged on design, safety and performance.

Above: The University of Florida finished first in the East Coast Tandem event. Below: The University of Las Vegas, which placed first in the Tandem entry in the West Coast event.

Each entry, representing a team of students, competed in a number of performance events in three vehicle categories: Single Rider, Tandem and Utility Vehicle. A comprehensive design report and design presentation supplemented the scores on the performance events.

Above: University of Oklahoma's entry won the East Coast Utility event. Below: The entry from the Seattle University team took first place in the Utility Vehicle category during the West Coast competition.

The Practical Vehicle event emphasizes the usefulness of the vehicle for daily activities, such as shopping, transportation or recreation. Entries must negotiate a slalom course with the challenge of carrying packages, going over bumps, potholes or other obstacles while stopping at signs and obeying the rules of the road. Single and tandem vehicles compete in sprint and endurance events.

ASME sponsors the HPV competition in the hope of finding a design that can be used for everyday activities, from commuting to going to the grocery store. For final results visit, www.asme.org/hpv.

 

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