Formula Hybrid Brochure - Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Tech
Founded in 1932 on the site where Henry Ford
perfected the moving assembly line, Lawrence
Technological University offers over 100 undergraduate,
master’s, and doctoral programs in
Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and
Sciences, Engineering, and Management. With a
focus on leadership through theory and practice,
Lawrence Tech seeks to help students understand
not only how something should work, but also
how it works in real-life situations. Consequently,
many of the University’s programs encourage
students to participate in professional projects in
which they solve real problems facing practicing
architects, engineers, managers, and scientists.
Students learn to network with leaders in their
chosen fields through co-ops, part-time work,
internships, student projects, and participation in
professional organizations.
Named among the nation’s top 50 “unwired”
universities, Lawrence Tech is unique in providing
all undergraduates with high-end laptop or
tablet computers customized with the industrystandard
software they need for their
field of study.
Contact Information
Team Leader Faculty Advisor
Marc Basta
Robert Fletcher
248.703.2226 248.204.2525
mbasta@ltufz.com rfletcher@ltu.edu
www.ltu.edu/formulahybrid
youtube.com/user/LTUElementOne
twitter.com/Element_One
Lawrence Technological University
21000 West Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075-1058
www.ltu.edu

The Team
Lawrence Technological University incorporated
the Formula Hybrid competition into its
engineering curriculum as a year-long project in
2009–10. The competition provides students a
unique opportunity to combine the University’s
signature blend of theory and practice with
the challenge of a real-world problem: creating
a high-performance racing vehicle that is
also fuel-efficient. The students design, build,
test, and race a Formula hybrid vehicle in
competition with other student engineering
teams from around the world. Lawrence Tech’s
Formula Hybrid team is comprised of freshmen
through senior students and graduate student
advisors. Students from all of the University’s
colleges are welcome to participate.
The team was extremely successful in its first competition in
2010. It placed third in class and earned outstanding scores
in design review. The vehicle also won General Motors’ thirdplace
design award. The 2013 team is seeking to continue the
tradition of hard work and dedication to be successful at the
next competition. Their work this year will focus on testing
and reducing the weight of the vehicle.
The Competition
Formula Hybrid is a design and engineering
challenge for undergraduate university
students endorsed by SAE International and
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE). Students must design,
build, and race an open-wheel, singleseat,
plug-in hybrid racecar that
conforms to Formula Hybrid
rules, which emphasize drive train
innovation and fuel efficiency in
high-performance applications.
Formula Hybrid builds
upon the Formula
SAE® program and takes it to the next level by adding
a new layer of complexity and posing an additional
technical challenge to student teams.
The Formula Hybrid competition focuses on the
engineering of the hybrid drive system and vehicle
suspension to maximize performance in three different
tests: acceleration, autocross, and endurance. The most
challenging event at the competition is endurance, which
tests how fast the vehicles can complete an endurance
course with a limited amount of energy.
Donor Involvement
The success of Lawrence Tech’s Formula Hybrid team
would not be possible without the generous help
of donors and sponsors. For 2013, the team seeks
support to reach a fund-raising goal of $50,000 to
purchase the materials needed to design, build,
and test the vehicle. Individual or company
donations can take the form of money,
materials, or equipment. It is important
that the team has access to the
latest equipment, because
the project requires
innovation and
experimentation.
Donor
Benefits
All donations are 100
percent tax deductible.
Your donation will
support education and
goal-oriented students. Sponsors
receive valuable promotional
opportunities. Your name or company’s
name will be displayed at the local and
national hybrid and automotive events the team attends
and in the team’s printed materials and press releases.
Companies can utilize this opportunity to familiarize
students with their names and products and highlight
their support of fuel-efficient and green technologies.