Summer Work Completes the Body of the 100 MPG Car
The Fountain Hills Car is in the final body development stages, and motor installation will occur soon. The pictures show Haley Montanez and Nico Radda working with Rick Hanson of CCR.
Car Build continues into 2010
Josh Brockson, a UAT student and FHHS graduate, helps on the car.
With the equipment in, students began the work of closing up the car. Students made the final tailing back section the week of October 1. In addition, they designed and finalized the windows. Those working during this week were Nico Radda, Ally Clark, and Colin McWilliams.
The 100 MPG Car Build is in Full Swing
The students and adults are hard at work getting the parts in place and the final touches on the structure. Twelve bodies were present working on the car the weekend of August 22nd. The students did some additional composite work as well as help plot the positioning of the motors for the propulsion system.
Composite Monocoque Body in Construction
We are doing classic composite body manufacturing on our prototype car. Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin. Monocoque construction was first widely used in aircraft in the 1930s. Structural skin or stressed skin are other terms for the same concept (Wikipedia).
We are using the lightweight hexagon aircraft paneling from Evergreen Aircraft in side body sections.
University of Phoenix Sponsorship
On April 14th, the University of Phoenix informed us of their intention to be a major sponsor of the Fountain Hills High School Research Club’s Falcon Future car. The Falcon Future car was just listed on the Progressive Automotive X-Prize Web site as one of 111 qualified entrants in the prestigious multi-million dollar international X-Prize competition. Fountain Hills High School is one of only two high schools in the nation to qualify.
The University of Phoenix has informed us they will be donating $5,000 towards our experimental car! The Research Club, sponsored by Dr. Paul McElligott, would like to thank the University of Phoenix board and Mr. Hank Radda of University of Phoenix for believing in our project.
Students to Appear in "Wired" Magazine
Students of the Fountain Hills High School Research Club, along with Dr. Paul McElligott, were interviewed recently by "Wired," an international technology magazine. The article by Matt Honan about Progressive Insurance Automotive X -Prize contestants will appear in the September 2009 issue. Be sure to check it out!
New Door
The students worked to cut a door in the Falcon Future car.
New Preliminary Windshield
The Research Club began closing in the car and adding a preliminary windshield. The car interior is beginning to look like the cockpit of an airplane.
On April 16, 2009, Mr. Alexander Kocksch; of the Evergreen Maintenance Center in Marana, Arizona announced that the FHHS Research Club will receive a donation of expensive aerospace structural materials we will incorporate in the X-Prize car. They have not finalized the total cost of the donation, but just the composite honeycomb boards are estimated to be worth around $10,000. He also announced they will donate other materials as well. We are very grateful to Mr. Kocksch and Evergreen International Aviation Inc. for this most generous contribution!
On Febraury 25, 2009, Falcon Future announced its acceptance into the multimillion-dollar Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize, a competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles to offer more consumer choices. Learn more about this exciting opportunity by reading this press release.
Toyota generously offered its support with a $2,500 grant from the Toyota TAPESTRY Program, the nation's largest science teacher grant program. Dr. Paul McElligott was recently announced as a returning grant recipient for 2009, his second award from the program. Find out more by reading Toyota's press release.
In a morning segment on March 19, Fox 10 News recognized the Research Club for its student work. The station highlighted the club for being one of only 40 teams so far earning acceptance into the Progresive X-Prize. In the segment, students appeared in their construction project with the car.
The club enclosed the car with fiberglass bonding. Collin McWilliams, Josh Brockson and Nicco Radda wore the appropriate equipment as they applied fiberglass molded strips to fix the roll bars to the side panels.
Students have called the car the “Falcon Future” to signify it is the car of the future getting 100 MPG using alternative methane fuel.
As of last week, I needed three green lights in order to declare if we would be a viable candidate in the X-Prize.
The X-Prize group needed me to commit to one fuel. They also need me to find a corporate sponsor to sign our competition contract. As of Monday we agreed to run selectively on methane by request of the X-Prize and we CCR Composites (Rick Henson) agreed to sign the contract.
As of last weekend, we had $4,000 in donations and were $1,000 short of the application fee. As of Wednesday, we received the missing amount.
On Thursday, January 30, an engineering meeting occurred between Rick Hanson and myself. We needed to make a major set of engineering decisions. One was how we would proceed if we went for the prize. One possibility was we would continue with a one-seat vehicle and build another car. If we did this, we would fund a second car and use the first for the test device. We could also rebuild the present car to be a two-seat vehicle. As of 7:00 p.m. last night, we elected to dual track a second car and increase fund raising to pay for the second car.
We have informed the Progressive X-Prize representatives as of 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 30 that we are faxing a Purchase Order and are awaiting the next step in the qualifying process.
The Research Club is eternally grateful to all the donors involved. Thank-you. We are speechless.
Dr. Paul McElligott
Both the Arizona Republic and the Fountain Hills Times were present for the presentation of the Briggs and Stratton Engine. The engine, which was demonstrated by Mr. Dick Carney of Briggs and Stratton, is a 140 cc, 12 hp. It will be used with mixed hydrogen and methane fuel in a hybrid system. The engine was ordered three weeks ago after the team of students and experts agreed to the power ranges.
The Research Club has teamed with the Scottsdale Barnes and Noble book store to raise funds for the 100 mile per gallon alternative fuel car. We will had out special vouchers to school staff and community members the week before Valentine's Day. Barnes and Noble customers can redeem the vouchers upon check-out with a percentage of the profits going to the Research Club. We will hold presentations on both our alternative fuel cars at the store on February 14th. Thank you to Larry Siegel, community relations manager at the Scottsdale store, for his efforts.
The Research Club appears employing composites in its 100 mile-per-gallon car in the January 2009 edition of Composites Manufacturing. Read the article here!
The car starts to take shape. In the last two weeks, students have been making major decisions on design and the final look of the vehicle. The car has wheels and students are giving the passenger space more attention.
Four Fountain Hills Resarch Club students were featured recently on the USA Radio Show, KKNT 960 AM, to discuss the 100 MPG hydrogen car. The students, Colin McWilliams, Ally Clark, Katelin Phillips, and Haley Montanez, were interviewed for the program that aired December 6th. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
Fountain Hills High School's Research Club recently received two donations toward the Hydrogen Car Project.
Alexander Kocksch, director of material at Evergreen Maintenance Center in Marana near the Pinal Air Base, will donate canopy materials to serve as our car wind shield material. A trip to Marana will be planned soon.
The Devereux Family Charities, in conjunction with Citi Global Impact Funding Trust, donated $500 toward the car project.
We are grateful to these organizations for their generosity.
AFV Tech, owned by Kevin Fern, has donated a red 2002 Ford Crown Victoria that can be modified to run on high percentage hydrogen to the FHHS Research Club. AFV Tech is a Phoenix corporation specializing in modifying compressed natural gas (CNG) cars into hydrogen vehicles. The Research Club has been working with AFV Tech to modify their existing car. The car will be used in the continued research program to examine green technology for producing power and transportation.
One of several research programs ongoing at the high school is to look at the efficiency of various experimental fuel mixtures in a modified alternative fuel car. The original hydrogen car is calibrated to run on Pure Compressed natural gas and low percent hydrogen. New grants are being sought to modify this donated car to run on high percentage hydrogen. The club is directed by Dr. Paul McElligott.
While most of the students at Fountain Hills took a well deserved break, several of the research students continued working for a couple of days building the alternative fuel car. This week the students made major milestones in completion of the roll bars for the front end. Now the rest of the seat and back portion can be completed. The back portion of the car is where the fuel and engine components will be housed.
The outer shell is at a completion stage, and students are now planning the major design cuts to the body for the door and trunk areas. Car design is one of the next concentration sections. Students are debating about color, door design, and style of lights for both the front and back of the car.
A New Consultant Joins the Team
Mr. Adrian Hyde, whose family owns Kelley's Automotive in Fountain Hills, is an avid car technology researcher and has been working at Oak Ridge labs. Mr. Hyde is contributing $1,000 towards the car build, offered assistance from his business, and has agreed to be a consultant on the project.
Part of his letter is below:
"My family resides in Fountain Hills full-time, while I am there about half the time. My family owns and operates Kelley’s Automotive Repair on La Montana Drive near Bashas’. While I spend a good amount of time with our family business, I am also presently engaged in alternative fuel and radiation detection technologies. Through the Fountain Hills Times and friends in town, I keep hearing wonderful things about you and your projects, including your alternative fuel car project. When cars like yours are on the road, hopefully my team will help make hydrogen cheaper and cleaner to produce.
I have been working on a public-private project with one of the top researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on hydrogen production technologies. My purpose in writing to you tonight is to introduce myself and to offer my assistance to your project. Given the nature of your project, I imagine I could be useful by offering pro bono services from our garage and also contributing funds. You can read about our tremendous technicians on the About Us page of our Web site. It would be great to meet sometime. I share your passion for education. I am presently working on my knowledge and credentials to teach math as a second career."
Mr. Richard Carney (right in the picture) of Briggs and Stratten Engines read our article in the papers and came with us on our last car build. He talked to Mr. Rick Hanson (left in the picture) and has pledged to support our needs with an engine and generator for the Experimental car. We are very grateful for Mr. Carney's interest in our students.
Briggs and Stratten Engines Pledge Help
