Design, analysis and performance of an electric land speed record streamliner: VPP Track: 3 – Advanced Vehicles

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to explain the general development of the Ohio State University's Buckeye Bullet (BB) and its success as the world's fastest electric land-speed car (2004). The Buckeye Bullet is an electric streamliner race car designed, constructed, operated and funded by a team of Ohio State University engineering students. The BB was created with the only purpose of traveling over 300 mph in a straight-line path to obtain a land speed record. This result became possible thanks to detailed studies on drivetrain, aerodynamic, chassis and suspension design with proper considerations of driver's safety and suitable control systems. This paper provides a brief introduction into the world of land speed racing (LSR) and the rules within LSR that shaped the design of the BB. Next, the description of the vehicle is divided into three sections: energy storage, electrical power conversion, and electromechanical energy conversion. The paper presents relevant data and trends that affected the evolution of the BB from its first appearance in 2002, up until its last operation (as of this writing) in October 2004. By the end of this paper the reader will have a general understanding of land speed record racing and of the main electrical technologies behind the BB.