Human Powered Vehicle

The scope of our project was to build a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) to compete in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) HPV Challenge, Utility Class. The vehicle is meant to be an everyday means of transportation. It is designed to be used on roadways, maneuver in and around traffic and be able to traverse obstacles such as speed bumps. The competition judges the vehicles in three areas: safety, design and performance. The vehicle will not be competing in the 2007 ASME HPV Challenge, due to cost issues and time constraints, however the vehicle was still built to the specifications outlined by ASME with the exception of a roll bar, front faring, and a safety harnesses. These missing components will be able to be easily incorporated into the current design, with hopes of competing with the vehicle in future competitions. The vehicles is a Reverse Recumbent Tricycle, meaning that you sit down on the vehicle in a reclined position, and that there are two wheels in the front of the vehicle and one in the rear. Our design is unique in the fact that it has full suspension, incorporating dual A-arms and shocks in the front and a rear shock from a mountain bike. Most of the production reverse “Trikes” on the market come with at most a single rear shock and a solid front axel. We are very pleased with how our HPV turned out and plan on upgrading parts when possible and powder coating the frame