Electrical Drive-Train Design for the Current Electric Land-Speed-Record Car

This paper explains the electrical drive-train development and performance of the Ohio State University\´s "Buckeye Bullet" (BB), and its success as the world\´s fastest electric land-speed car (August/October 2004). The electric car has been designed, constructed, operated and funded by a mix of Ohio State University\´s engineering students, and other external sponsors. A brief introduction is provided of the rules and distance constraints of the Land Speed Record (LSR) course. The overall design and performance parameters of the electric car are developed for achieving travel at over 300 mph in the straight-line course. The car description will be divided into three sections: energy storage, electrical power conversion, and electromechanical power conversion which explain our past and present usage of various battery technologies, of a PWM drive inverter, and of a custom designed induction motor. The tuning of the inverter-motor drive interaction, and the trained actions of the driver will be described, in achieving a smooth acceleration profile in a hostile salt-laden environment.