System design and optimization of The Ohio State University Electric Motorcycle for the 2014 Isle of Man TT Zero Race

The Ohio State University Buckeye Current Team was formed in 2010 at the Center for Automotive Research, to provide our students a practical experience in designing and building electric motorcycles to compete in national and international races. The mission of the team is to teach students about electric vehicles, promote electric vehicle events, and give them an engaging educational work environment through real-world experiences. The Team achieved international recognition with a prestigious 3rd place finish in their inaugural effort at the 2013 Isle of Man TT Zero race. The all-electric motorcycle RW-2, designed and built entirely by OSU engineering students, raced on the Snaefell Mountain Course averaging 90.43mph. This paper illustrates the design and engineering process that the Buckeye Current Team followed with the objective of participating again to the TT Zero race in 2014. The paper details the technical solutions that have been implemented, including vehicle energy simulation and scenario analysis, mechanical and electrical design, control development and data logging system.