Super Mileage Vehicle (SMV) is a student run group who builds aerodynamic, light weight cars with the goal of obtaining maximum fuel efficiency. Every year we take our car to the International Super Mileage Competition in Marshall, Michigan. In past years we have done very well at the competition, in 2002 we took first place with 1068 miles per gallon.
About the Club:
Cal SMV works throughout the year to complete the car before the competition in June. We hold work sessions on Saturdays and usually one evening during the week at Richmond Field Station (RFS). Machining projects are completed in the Student Machine Shop on campus during the week. There is no time requirement to participate in SMV, however there is usually about 10 hours a week in which people are working at RFS. In most cases several people, if not the whole club, work on projects together. No prior experience with cars or engineering is necessary to join Cal SMV, merely the desire to want to learn.
About the Competition:
The competition takes place on a 1.6 mile track in Marshall, Michigan at the Eaton semi proving grounds. The competition takes two day. On the first day all cars must pass a technical inspection and are then allowed to take practice runs. The second day is the actual competition. Six laps constitutes one run, from which mileage is extrapolated. A maximum of six runs is allowed from which a team's best run is their score. A run has to be completed in 36 minutes and teams whom go over time have mileage subtracted from their score that run. Drivers of the cars must weigh at least 130 lbs (although they can be weighted down) and the cars must run off of iso-octane.
About the Car:
Cal SMV's car this year will be an improvement on last years. We already have a chassis, although we will be making many alterations. The main areas which we will be working on this year are the engine and aerodynamics.
The car is 103 inches long, 32 inches wide, and less than 100 lbs. It is made from carbon fiber and nomex honeycomb. The fairing is divided into two parts, the monocoque chassie as the bottom and a light weight faring for the top. We make the fairings by using male modes to create female molds which we then lay-up the carbon in. We are in the process of making more of our parts out of carbon fiber rather than aluminum in order to decrease the weight of the car.
