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Jason Lewis
2007 CSUN HPV Team

Who wouldn’t like to go faster, and ride in greater comfort? How would you like to be able to run errands, maybe pick up some groceries, and not have to carry them in a backpack? The need for speed, comfort, and utility drives the development of new technology in transportation. Many obstacles hamper the traditional bike: the rider position and lack of significant cargo storage space. With its recumbent rider position and aerodynamic covering or fairing, the human powered vehicle (HPV) is an alternative method of cycling that is faster and more comfortable than the traditional bike.

As engineers, it is our task to find economical solutions to human-interest problems using science and technology. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) puts on an annual competition for engineers to design, manufacture, and test human powered vehicles. Due to the popularity of the competition, and to make it easier for competitors to travel, the ASME HPV Competition is held at two separate locations each year, one in the eastern section of the U.S., and one in the west. This year the West Coast Competition is being held at the NASA Ames Research Facility in Sunnyvale, CA on April 13-15, 2007. The University of Central Florida is hosting the East Coast Competition on May 11-13, 2007. The California State University Northridge HPV Team will be competing in the West Coast Competition. The CSUN HPV Team consists of ten mechanical engineering students working on the project as a capstone design project for our degree. It is a yearlong process, and the HPV is designed, analyzed, manufactured, tested, and ridden by our team.

Last year’s CSUN team was the first entry for our school in over a decade. Our HPV last year was two-wheeled, had a steel frame, and a fiberglass fairing. This year’s design is three-wheeled, has a 6061 T-6 Aluminum frame, and will have a carbon-fiber fairing. The three-wheeled design allows for more stability, and a lower rider position. The lower rider position allows for a better aerodynamic profile, and thus a faster HPV.

This has been a brief introduction to the HPV, the HPV Competition, and the CSUN HPV Team. My next article will include a bit more about our HPV, and the design and manufacturing process. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I hope you enjoy the peek into the alternate cycling world of recumbents and HPVs.

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