RPL Project

The project has been named Diocles, after the famous chariot racer from ancient Rome. It is an improvement on the Warthog vehicle seen in the Halo series (video games, TV shows on Paramount +, etc.).

The project is designed to be an in-hub electric motor design, based on drone motors. These motors will be situated within the wheels of the car and will be electronically controlled with equipment common to most hobbyist drones. (The final design is expected to be controlled by an ESP32 microcontroller). The goal of the project is to demonstrate the viability of an in-hub motor design for electric vehicles (real-size and scaled) as well as the ruggedness and versatility achievable with additively-manufactured components, specifically TPU (thermoplastic urethane, used for the tires) and carbon fiber PLA. The design is based on a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, suspension, and wheels -- for lightness, rigidity, and strength -- where this design methodology and materials were mainly based on the work being done at Koenigsegg, in relation to their nearly all-carbon design approach.

The model has been designed in Solid Works. Solid Works and Ansys are used for the optimization of support elements involved in the chassis and suspension.

The images below are a variety of photos detailing the progress of mechanical components for wheels, tires, and suspension elements for an SUV.