Design Process
This was the first time I had ever made a CO2 Car. A few things initially ran through my head when designing, I though about weight, aerodynamics, and aesthetics. I figured the lighter the car the faster it would go. For aerodynamic reasons, I designed my car to be curved and round. First, I created my design using the Styrofoam block. I used the foam cutter to shape it, but did not actually sand it round like my final product because it was Styrofoam. After I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted my final product to look like, I drew it on the graph paper and attached it to the side of my basswood using clear tape. I then drilled the holes for the axles. Using the Bandsaw, I cut out my shape, using relief cuts. I had a few problems during the process at described below in “Problems and Solutions.” After my shape was cut out, I then started the process of sanding. I used the small belt sander to get the initial roundness and curves that I wanted, and then used a hand sander for the rest. I ended up sanding a lot more off for weight purposes. Once the sanding was finished, I then painted my car. The shape ended up looking like a snake to me, so I spray-painted it green. Then I went home and added polka dots with puff paint, as well as adding eyes to the head of the “snake.”

Kit used to build CO2 Car

Sanding Car to Shape

Testing
I was pleased with the results of my car. My first trial I paired my car with a very similar looking car (Clint’s). My car actually did much better, and unfortunately his car broke. My time was one of the top times for Trial one. However, the second and third trials weren’t as fast because I was using a silver cartridge instead of a gold one like the first trial. Overall, I think my car did really well coming in 4th out of the entire class.

Launching Clint's and My's Car

This Portfolio was developed in a series of Graphic Communication/Communication Technology courses, taught in the Technology Education Program at Virginia Tech.