Engineering a Mini Electric Vehicle

Each group selects materials of choice:

• Car body/chassis:
• • cardboard pieces, popsicle sticks, or other sturdy lightweight materials
  • tape or hot glue gun (to attach components)
  • optional: markers, paint, etc. (to decorate)
• Wheels & axles:
• • 4 wheels 1-2” in diameter (bottle caps, hobby wheels, 3D printed wheels, etc.)
  • 2 axles (2 mm diameter wooden skewers, plastic or thin metal rods, etc., to attach pulleys and wheels)
  • hollow tubing to place the axles through (straws, heat‑shrink tubing, taped loops, etc.) and attach to the chassis
  • rubber bands (put around the circumference of the plastic cap wheels for traction)
• Motor:
• • 1 mini DC motor (3 V, 2 mm diameter shaft recommended)
  • 2 AA batteries
  • 1 2 AA battery pack with wire leads and an on/off switch
  • 2 connectors (alligator clips and ties to wrap up extra length or lever nuts)
• Drivetrain:
• • 2 plastic pulleys (about 2 mm diameter to fit motor shaft and axles) and a rubber band to place in the pulley grooves (one placed on the motor shaft and the other placed on an axle) OR only a rubber band placed directly around an axle and the motor shaft