April 11, 2025
The AME Department’s Recumbent Vehicle Design Team (RVDT) received 1st Place in the Design Event and the Best Innovation Award this past weekend at the ASME eHPVC competition in Dallas, Texas! This the second year in a row RVDT has received the top Design trophy, continuing the team’s run of excellent engineering and analysis. The Best Innovation Award was given for the radially adjustable pedal system which rotated the crank assembly around a central pivot to adjust for different rider height without the need for a chain take-up / tensioner system typical to adjustable recumbent bicycles.
Trophies for first place at eHPVC Design Event and for Best Innovation.
RVDT team after the competition.
This competition, hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), challenges students to scratch-build an electrically assisted human powered vehicle and compete in both sprint and endurance races. This year’s (rainy and windy) competition included teams from across the country and USC RVDT showed incredible determination throughout.
RVDT’s Vechicle heading to the Sprint competition.
The team making emergency repairs.
After securing a 4th place finish in Sprints on Friday, the team moved on to the two-and-a-half-hour endurance race Saturday morning. Early in the race, a weld failed causing one of the vehicle’s wheels to come off! The team rallied quickly to fabricate and install a repair, receive safety approval, and get back onto the track for another hour and a half of racing. This demonstration of grit and engineering skill was the very definition of “Fight On!”
AME would like to thank Prof. Gilpin for the write up.
Published on April 11th, 2025Last updated on April 14th, 2025