14 | JANUARY 02 • 2020

TOP: Team members
use computer
simulations as they
develop their electric
car. ABOVE: Wexler
tests a battery pack.

is pushing innovation. The vehicle
dynamics side is also developing fea-
tures unique to their electric car.
“Because of the electric motor
design we developed, we now have
to design and fabricate our own cus-
tom brake caliber because there is
no off-the-shelf component to fit the

environment we designed,
” Kevin
Campion said. “We also designed our
own rotor system for the actual caliber
to mount to. The whole steering sys-
tem is also completely redone because
we have to account for it being an all-
wheel drive vehicle.
”
In addition to their custom brake
calibers, the team has designed a
regenerative braking system, which
allows them to use some of their
energy output from friction to charge
their batteries.
“When accelerating, you use energy
from the battery pack to speed up the
car and then the regenerative braking
allows you to use the motors to col-
lect some of that energy from the car
moving to put it back into the battery
pack,
” Janke said. “It’
s another way for
our car to be energy-efficient.
”
As Campion touched upon, their
electric car is all-wheel drive. This is
a huge advantage for their team going
into their competitions because not
many other teams can accomplish an
all-wheel drive vehicle.
“When you only have two wheels
driving, which is what most vehicles
have, you’
re only utilizing the traction
of those two wheels,
” Janke said. “But
with our vehicle, we can use all four
wheels, and it gives us an edge in some
of the events at the competitions, such
as the acceleration event or any of the
auto-cross events that are all about
how much grip you can get to the
ground.
”


OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE
The innovation being designed by
these students is indicative of the
knowledge and passion they have for
engineering. The team is thankful for
the opportunity to come up with their
own designs, witness their car come
to life and compete in two national
competitions.
“The most valuable part of this
project is the teamwork aspect. The
work that we do in class is mostly solo
work and for the sole purpose of just
receiving a grade,
” Wexler said. “This
team is working toward a common
goal, and this is what you see occur-
ring in the workforce and allows us
to show future employers that we can
work as a team and be successful.
”
Wexler, who is from Commerce,
owes his enrollment and engagement
at LTU to his grandfather, Dr. Murray
Sack, who attended LTU but had to
leave due to his Jewish faith and the
rise of anti-Semitism there during
that time.
“I was previously at Oakland
University for political science, but
my grandpa suggested that I transfer
to LTU and pursue an engineering
degree,
” Wexler said. “I decided to
follow his advice and I couldn’
t love
it more. It’
s a perfect fit for me, and
I hope that my experience with this
team will allow me to pursue my goal
of working in the aerospace industry.
”
The electric team is in the building
phase of their car and is raising funds
not only to create their car, but also
to compete in the Formula Hybrid
competition in Loudon, N.H., and the
Formula SAE competition in Fontana,
Calif. The team has raised $47,000
in cash but are short of their $70,000
goal.
Without donations from their spon-
sors and people in the community, the
LTU team wouldn’
t be able build their
car or travel to these competitions. If
you would like to donate to the LTU
electric team, go to pitchin.ltu.edu and
the team name is 2020 Formula SAE
Electric Team.

Jews in the D

“This team is working toward
a common goal. This is what
you see in the workforce and
it allows us to show future
employers we can work as a
team and be successful.”

— AUSTIN WEXLER

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