Build the open source car suggested on www.theoscarproject.org

Understanding
This page is based upon the Open Source Car project suggested here and animated using a computer simulation in this YouTube video. The goal of the original website and associated work was only to produce blueprints, however here on Substepr the goal is to determine every single detail about how to practically build this vehicle such that it would work as intended.

The design assumes that every necessary aspect of the car can be provided as self-contained modules that can be worked upon in isolation. This intention is very appropriate for a large-scale collaboration between many people because it means that the work of one person shouldn't interfere with the work of someone else and it's also very compatible with the sub-divided Substepr structure.

Board
The "board" is the main base upon which other things are attached. It acts like the motherboard of a computer. The "body" is the chassis of the car and gives the shape of the space within the car. The board should have a way to attach the body to it ("body mounting"). There should be a security frame or cage that prevents the passenger area from crumpling as easily if the car rolls over or has something heavy land on top of it. There needs to be some kind of engine bracket to hold the engine in the ideal position. There needs to be a form of mechanical coupling between the engine and the gear system and between the gear system and the drive wheels. There also need to be other couplings, such as between the steering wheel and the control system. The control system could be both hydraulic and electric (pneumatics could perhaps replace the hydraulics in order to make the car lighter but that might not be an ideal technology to use or it simply may not be as well developed as hydraulic systems).

There needs to be some electrical docking attachment points, so that the car can be recharged electrically or so that one could connect by USB, or other means, to the control system of the car. For security, this could be lockable with a key by the owner - like a fuel valve in a normal diesel or petrol powered car. This would prevent people from sabotaging the control system by gaining access to the USB connection and using it to change the settings in the control system.

Method

 * 1) Create the "board".
 * 2) Create the body (chassis).
 * 3) Create the engine(s).
 * 4) Create the power system(s).
 * 5) Create the safety system(s).
 * 6) Create the information system(s).

Everything else

 * Find out what the most suitable electric motors would be based on cost, output power, weight and other relevant factors.
 * Use the electric vehicle AC ('EV AC') motors privided by Metric mind corporation.
 * Describe an aerodynamic or functionally-useful shape as the guiding shape for the body of the car.
 * Find out what the most suitable combustion engine would be based on cost, output power, weight and other relevant factors.
 * Find out the company that supplies the chosen engine and replace this command and the previous command with "Use the x engine provided by y", where 'x' is replaced by the name of the chosen engine and 'y' is replaced by a place where this engine can be found.
 * Describe an aerodynamic or functionally-useful shape as the guiding shape for the body of the car.
 * Use Google Sketchup to design an aerodynamic shape for the car.
 * Use Microsoft Paint to make 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional sketches that describe the shape of the car.
 * Upload these files to Substepr for other users to download.


 * Automotive engineering
 * Engineering
 * Topics (listed alphabetically)