Welcome
Human Powered Vehicles (HPV) are aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that may be for use on land, in the water or the air. Some land-based HPV's have achieved speeds of over 60 mph. Every year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) sponsors a national HPV competition in which the vehicles are judged on design, safety and performance. The ultimate goal of the contest is to find a design that can be used for everyday activities ranging from commuting to and from work to going to the grocery store. Senior engineering students can use this competition for their capstone project and with their efforts design and construct a fast, sleek, and safe vehicle capable of road use.
Our club mainly focuses on the ASME competition. Our goal is to follow the mission statement set out by ASME: "The point of the competition is the elegance and ingenuity of the design, including presentation, practicality and safety. All areas of engineering problem-solving are addressed - it's not as simple as it appears to design and build these vehicles. And the competition itself is great fun for the team."
Note: To anyone wishing to join, we meet in the Senior Project Laboratory/Mechanical Engineer Shop, building 4 (the hanger, not Engineering IV) every Saturday morning at 10. Come by and see what we're all about!
Our ASME Competition in Portland, OR
During the first weekend in May, Cal Poly participated in the HPV Challenge. Overall, the team took second. The team also took second in design as well as endurance. Natalie Smith took third in the female sprints and Aaron Williams took second in the male sprints.Our ASME Competition in Reno, NV
Cal Poly just recently participated in the 25th Annual HPV Challenge in Reno, NV. The team took fourth place overall, second place in design. Andrew Ouellet placed first in the male sprints with a speed of 46.3 mph and Natalie Smith took fourth place in the female sprints with a speed of 33.25 mph. Click here to check out all of our Achievements and Records.
