From January 2022 to December 2022, I was team captain of one of the most ambitious Capstone Design projects to ever occur at Colorado School of Mines. Our project, the Electric Baja Build, was to hand-build a preeminent racing vehicle capable of competing in the toughest off-roading races in the world, such as the Baja 1000, while using novel Electric Vehicle (EV) technology.
Computer Automated Design (CAD) Model of the vehicle "Peak Load"
The team consisted of 13 engineering students from the disciplines of Electrical, Mechanical, Design and Software Engineering. The team was founded and led by Electrical Engineering student Robert Schmidt, and advised by Professional Engineer Max Billington.
"I have dreamt about electric vehicles for many years and have dedicated countless hours studying the ins and outs of EV technology. This project gives our students the chance to push EV technology to the limit, while also building brand awareness for our sponsors."
-ROBERT SCHMIDT
The project was organized in three unique sub-teams:
1. Mechanical
2. Electrical
3. Financial
Over the course of 2022, the mechanical team, led by Mechanical Engineer Anthony Boyd, stripped a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee of all components and re-built the frame to withstand grueling off-roading conditions. The mechanical team fabricated a custom steel roll-cage to maintain structural integrity and instituted four-link & long-arm kits to create a highly-versatile suspension system.
The electrical team designed a plug & play electric powertrain which utilizes 110 kWh of recycled lithium-ion batteries in coordination with an 800 lb-ft motor to propel the 7,000 lb vehicle at scorching speeds. The electrical team did key work to validate the power requirements of the vehicle, source components, and design a system that guarantees the safety of the drivers and the race crew. To accommodate extreme races for thousands of miles, the battery systems are designed to be “hot-swapped”, replacing spent batteries with freshly charged ones and providing nearly-unlimited range.
I, Adam Schwartz, lead the operations of fundraising team in collaboration with Robert Schmidt. The fundraising team was responsible for developing a social media presence for our project, building partnerships with industry sponsors, and raising funds through the Colorado School of Mines community. As a Capstone project, the school recommended we set a realistic fundraising goal of $5,000 to help with the project.
In the end, we raised over $80,000, making history and smashing any previous records for student-led projects at Colorado School of Mines. In addition to funds raised, our project worked with over 20 sponsors from a multitude of industries which added another $50,000 of value to the project.
The success of the financial team would not have been possible without immense contributions from teammates Titus Reed III andBlake Partis.
Throughout this experience I gained invaluable experience with project management, marketing, and technical work in the automotive field. I am enormously proud of the success that the Capstone Design project achieved and look to continue working with electric vehicles.
Computer Automated Design (CAD) Model of the vehicle "Peak Load"
