MU team readies hydrogen car for race Redesign aims for less weight.
Move over, Tigergen I; a new generation of hydrogen vehicle is about to be born.
Members of the University of Missouri’s Hydrogen Car Team are now in the construction stage of Tigergen II, which is expected to compete in March at Shell’s Eco-Marathon Challenge in Houston. MU’s roughly 40-member hydrogen car team has spent more than a year designing the vehicle and is now starting to put the pieces together.
“It’s pretty exciting to get it ready for competition instead of just having a demonstration vehicle,” said Forrest Meyen, a junior and president of the team.
Tigergen II has been entered in the competition’s Urban Concept category, which means the car must include parts found on traditional vehicles such as headlights and taillights, a brake pedal and turn signals. Unlike Tigergen I, which requires a driver to remove the entire top of the vehicle to get in, the new car will have to have a door.
Tigergen II is expected to be some 500 pounds lighter than its predecessor, with the team capping it at no more than 300 pounds. To do so, the body and chassis of the vehicle will be integrated as one load-bearing system composed of layers of carbon fibers. Balsa wood, a strong but lightweight wood, will be used for reinforcing beams and braces.
