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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