Bulldogs Racing roars to a big win

05/03/2013
Departments: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Bulldogs Racing, a student group sponsored by the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science that builds and competes in a hybrid gas-electric racecar, won the 2013 Formula Hybrid International at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 2. The Formula Hybrid International challenges collegiate teams from across the world to design, build, and race high-performance hybrid and electric vehicles with guidance from the Society of Automotive Engineers.

This year, the team pulled away with 1st place Ford Most Efficient Hybrid System, 1st place Chrysler Innovation Award, the 2nd place GM Best Engineered Hybrid Award, and the Formula Hybrid International Competition Overall Best Hybrid 1st place.

This year, Yale’s car passed tilting, braking, mechanical, and electrical tests with flying colors on April 30-May 1, and the Eli team was the first to fully qualify for all dynamic events. Four other cars ended up qualifying for dynamic events on Wednesday: the University of Vermont and Dartmouth with electric cars and Lawrence Tech with the only other hybrid car. McMaster University and the University of Michigan passed inspections on the last day of competition.  

On May 1, the first day of events, Yale’s team posted the fastest run of the day in the acceleration event, covering 75 meters in 5.28 seconds.  The Bulldogs also topped the field in the autocross event, testing maneuverability, with a blistering time of 49.2 seconds over a 750-meter track. 

On May 2 the teams competed in the endurance event, proving their durability over 22 kilometers with metrics on acceleration, speed, fuel economy and reliability. Formula Hybrid teams are also judged on design and presentation – an event that tests a team’s ability to make a business case for manufacturing their vehicle.

Bulldogs Racing was founded in 2006 as the Yale Formula Hybrid Team. The team was energized for the 2012-2013 school year with new sponsorship from Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science and support from the faculty and staff at the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design.

For next year, Bulldogs Racing plans to compete again!