Although everything couldn’t quite come together this time, the team certainly had a memorable experience these past two weeks. The mechanical team put in a truly incredible amount of work into Zephyr (I am personally on the electrical team, so I think I can say this without bragging, haha). So much of the car you see is handmade, from the sleek carbon-fiber shell to the welded aluminum chassis, with little tolerance and deviation from the models. Even the current electrical issues are only a temporary speed bump for Zephyr; we simply didn’t have the resources and time to fix them when they arose unexpectedly last Friday. I am still very proud to be part of this team, and know how much work went into designing and building Zephyr. There will be races ahead for our latest vehicle, but until then, check out some photos from FSGP 2014!
Zephyr and friends, ready to rayce (despite the clouds)!The truck space was heavily optimized, significantly reducing mileageGetting ready to load Zephyr into the trailer, departing from Berkeley at sunsetThe rather picturesque spot in the Mojave Desert where the trailer’s wheel blew outSwitching out the chewed up wheel and what remains of the tire rubberZephyr being rolled out at the Circuit of the America, not yet adorned with decalsDemonstrating the suspension system to the inspectors, naturally by standing on itYou could say we all had a few bugs in our cars
A lot of mechanical fine-tuning and touch-ups were done at FSGP, to say the least
The glorious prototype telemetry box deserved a spot here
Securing temperature sensors inside the battery box
Zephyr’s drivers studying the race track via simulation, mentally noting the turns and optimal speeds
Adjusting the rear-view camera placement
Doing some late-night work on the power distribution box, the night of a record thunderstormZephyr showing off its handling during dynamic scrutineering, with an especially impressive slalom run
We hope you’ll continue to join us in Zephyr’s future adventures, and see you next time!
