Participants
The competition is open to teams from colleges and universities. Registration is made to project- and competition leader Lars Gustavsson via letter or e-mail no later than January 15, 2022. The number of participants for 2022 is set at a maximum of 15 teams, which means that the first 15 registered teams are guaranteed to be able to participate. In addition to these 15 teams, the competition management has the right to give a "wild card" to 2 more teams.
Track profile
You will find a detailed track profile in the linked Excel documents below. The measurements were made by Stig-Göran Mårtensson, PhD, associate professor, and senior lecturer at the Land Surveying Programme at Gävle University on May 5, 2017.
Explanation data_Banprofil_Delsbo Electric_190409 >>
Delsbo Electric banprofil_170503-1 >>
Free space
According to the standard for the design of the rails, a small free space is guaranteed only on the inside of the rails for steering (see regulation BVF 586.20). However, traffic with bicycle trolleys on the route has created a gap of a few millimetres also on the outside of the rail head.
Regulation BVF 586.20, Free space along the track. Figure 2. Vehicle profile F [mm]
Vehicle
The vehicle must be fitted with a brake and be designed not to derail. Drivers and passengers must be able to get in and out of the vehicle without outside assistance. All occupants must travel seated with a backrest. By sitting is meant that most of the weight is distributed onto the buttocks. The backrest must have a slope between 60 and 90 degrees and a minimum height of at least 35 cm.
The approved angle for the backrest is within the green range.
Safety must be such that no personal injuries are expected to occur in the event of heavy braking, breakdown, derailment or fire in battery or electronics. It shall be possible to brake the vehicle by hand and all passengers shall be able to quickly vacate the vehicle in case of fire. The vehicle must have a floor or net floor that prevents passengers from putting down a foot or arm and getting stuck on the ground or railway sleepers. The vehicle must be equipped with protection so that fingers cannot get into spinning wheels and spokes, for example during braking.
The vehicle must be operated exclusively with electrical energy from a voltage source with a nominal voltage of 12 to 48 V and a maximum instantaneous current consumption of 20 A. The voltage from the voltage source may never exceed 60 V. Furthermore, the voltage source shall not be overloaded or operated in any way which violates associated datasheets. All cables must be dimensioned for handling the expected currents through the cables, and passengers shall be protected from direct contact with all voltage carrying parts.
Feedback of braking energy is allowed, which means that only net energy consumption is counted. The brake energy must be fed back through the junction box to the battery.
Extra safety measures are required if Lithium-ion batteries are used. These shall be stored in such a way that passengers cannot be struck by flames directly from the battery in case of a battery fire. A separate compartment and/or a suitable flame barrier can be used. Furthermore, Lithium-ion batteries shall be equipped with a battery management system (BMS). If the Lithium-ion batteries are to be used for receiving regenerative braking energy the vehicle shall also be equipped with a protective circuit capable of handling any electrical transients (so called “load dumps”) generated by inductive sources (e.g. electrical motors), in case the BMS should stop the recharging current to the battery. This protective circuit shall limit the peak voltage to 60 V as well as safely dissipate the energy in the transients to protect other electronics in the vehicle. The teams must supply Delsbo Electric with evidence (e.g. circuit diagrams, datasheets, pictures, etc.) which demonstrates that the BMS and other protective circuits are adequate, at least a week before the competition.
An exception may be made from the requirement of a single voltage source for a single button cell battery with the purpose of keeping memory in volatile memories and/or to power a digital watch. This single button cell battery shall not have a nominal voltage higher than 3.6 V and a nominal capacity larger than 300 mAh. Teams that want to use this exception must supply us with schematics and circuit diagrams which prove that the button cell battery does not contribute to the propulsion of the vehicle at least a week before the competition.
After the registration fee has been posted, the team will receive a mount for our measuring unit. The mount contains wiring and fuse so that it is easy to mount the measuring unit in the vehicle. The measuring unit is of dimensions 24 cm x 17 cm x 11 cm, and must be mounted on the vehicle between the battery and the drive system. All energy consumed by the drive system of the vehicle must pass through the measuring unit. All electrical capacitors after the measuring unit relative to the battery shall be discharged before starting the competition. During the competition, we use our own calibrated measuring unit. As such, the mount must be positioned so that the measuring unit is easy to insert into and remove from the vehicle.
It may prove advantageous to have your own measuring unit during development and test driving of the vehicle, and any schools interested are welcome to buy their own from us.
Measuring unit
Technical Inspection Checklist
Use the link below to download our Technical Inspection Checklist. We will be using it during the competition. With the boxes checked you are ready to go ;)
Railroad switch
There will be a switch that must be passed along the track. The vehicle must travel straight ahead through the switch along the right unbroken rail. That means that the vehicle’s wheels must be designed in a way that it will not thwart on the left rail.
The pictures show the standard model’s switch that must be passed during competition.
Values from the measuring unit will be forwarded via a LoRaWan antenna, which is mounted on the measuring units we´re using during the competition. The images below describes the space needed.
Rules 2022
Competition race
The vehicle starts from a standstill and must maintain an average speed of between 10 -15 km/h during the race. The crew must not touch the ground or the tracks while driving. The vehicle must stop and stand completely still within 20 metres from the finish line.
Safety check of the vehicles on Thursday, May 26 is mandatory
All teams are expected to arrive at Delsbo station with their vehicles no later than 12:00 on Thursday, May 26. The vehicles are checked and approved. Competition management will disqualify vehicles that do not meet the set requirements. If the assessment shows that the vehicle does not meet the requirements, you have the opportunity for an additional inspection after you have rectified the deficiencies. Feel free to contact us before, and feel free to ask questions if you are unsure of your design solutions. You may not test drive the race track before your vehicle has been safety checked.
Test driving the race track before start is mandatory
Before start, each team must have tested the entire competition route from start to finish without stopping or without having to touch the ground. You have access to the track after a security check on Thursday, May 26, and up until one and a half hours before the first start on Saturday, May 28. You can borrow weights from us if you do not have six people for the test run.
The competition route crosses a busy road. We will review what applies in terms of road guards and safety prior to you driving on the track.
All teams live at Delsbo camping and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at Delsbo station
Naturligtvis väljer ni själva var ni äter men vi tycker det är viktigt att mötas och ha roligt tillsammans. Ni har möjlighet att äta alla mål på Delsbo stationskafé till ett förmånligt pris. Vi stämmer av inför tävlingen. Då får ni veta mer och vi får veta hur ni planerar att göra.
Naturally, you choose where you eat, but we think it is important to meet and have fun together. You have the opportunity to eat all your meals at Delsbo station café and at a discounted price. Book your accommodation and meals through us. More details about costs and times are to come.
Ask us about accommodation
We can give you tips.
Test drive of railroad switch in Delsbo
You are welcome to test drive the railroad switch in the eastern end of Delsbo railway yard (outside the competition route) whenever you want during the year. Let us know in advance.
Tip!
To avoid derailment, a stable and well-thought-out steering toward the rails is required. Note that 3-wheel vehicles with steering only towards the inside of the rail do not normally travel stably, but can rotate out of track as the track width varies slightly along the distance. Bicycle trolleys are 3-wheeled and normally have a narrow and low guide flange that also guides on the outside of one rail. Since the track is located on a real railway, there are derailment protection, vegetation, gravel, electrical connections with associated bolts to the rails, rail nails and road crossings, etc. that can act as an obstacle for an incorrectly designed vehicle.
To avoid derailment, we strongly recommend that the vehicle be tested on a railway track well in advance of the race. The test can, for example, be done on a disused industrial track with a railroad switch and a road crossing.
It is forbidden to ride on the competition route between two months before the competition and two days before the competition.
It offers advantages to be familiar with and to adapt the driving to the profile of the track. To give all teams the same conditions, regardless of where the school is located, it will not be allowed in 2021 to drive the 3.36 km stretch of the Dellenbanan with racing vehicles between March 29 and May 26. The rest of the Dellenbanan with tracks and railroad switches is open for test driving all year round. Detailed data for simulation of driving on the competition route can be found under the section Track profile >>
However, you are more than welcome to use the bicycle trolley on the competition route whenever you want. Contact us if you want to cycle!
The gala dinner takes place in the evening after the competition
We meet up around 18:00. During the dinner, we sum up Delsbo Electric 2022 and hand out trophies, the HHK Innovation Award and Best project Delsbo Electric 2022. When dinner is finished, we will party in the warehouse for as long as we want :) The dinner and subsequent party are adapted to current recommendations for Covid-19.
Participation fee
The participation fee is 2,000 Swedish kronor per team. The fee is invoiced at the same time as a confirmation of the registration is sent to the team. Payment must be made within 30 days for the registration to remain valid. We pay back the registration fee to schools that have withdrawn their registration no later than January 31, 2022. In connection with the registration, you must state an invoice address and an invoice reference.
The competition
The competition day for 2022 is the 28th of May. The challenge is to drive a distance of about 3.36 km with as little energy consumption as possible, expressed in Wh/passenger km. To arrive at the final result, the total energy consumption is divided by the number of passengers. The crew is accompanied by an inspector on a bicycle trolley.
Prizes from the organiser
First prize is SEK 10,000 and is awarded to the team that uses the least energy. In addition, each team that breaks the current competition record from previous years receives a bonus of SEK 2,000. The current competition record is 0.63 Wh/passenger km (Eximus III, Dalarna University 2018 and Eximus IV, Dalarna University 2019).
Delsbo Electric is so much more than winning. We know that there are many ingenious thoughts, solutions and lessons in the teams’ work that may not be showcased in the competition results. We would like to learn about them, highlight them and hopefully also give valuable feedback back to our competitors. Therefore, we hold a mandatory question and answer session and interview with the competing teams. What the students tell us about their work will be presented during the competition day at Delsbo Electric, and in our digital channels.
Bonus assessments will take place one team at a time according to a set schedule. The group that asks the questions consists of people from Delsbo Electric and from our partners. The representatives from HHK who participate then use the information as a basis for decisions to nominate this year's winner of the HHK Innovation Award.
All teams must be prepared to present their team and vehicle to a jury and to the public. All teams must be prepared to answer questions about how the project has been carried out and about how the team arrived at their solutions.
Bonus assessment of vehicles and student work
Prizes from partners
HHK (Hudiksvalls Hydraulikkluster) Innovation Award rewards curiosity and creativity and is awarded to the most interesting, fun and daring concept in Delsbo Electric. "For us, it is a way of saying thank you for inspiring students, the industry and society to create smarter and more sustainable transportation solutions," says cluster leader Paul Bogatir. The jury consists of technology and innovation experts within HHK. The winners are invited to visit HHK for some fun and inspiring days where they get to experience the best Hudiksvall has to offer in terms of food, entertainment and technology. The purpose is to create contacts and meetings that further stimulate the exchange of innovation and knowledge between universities, students and the industry.
Best project Delsbo Electric 2022 is an award that rewards the team that is judged to have completed its entire project in the best way. It includes such things as project management, revaluation in response to arisen situations, results in simulation and construction, documentation and more. The people who are part of the group that conducts the "Bonus assessment" with the students decide which team wins the prize.
Team leaders
When registering, each team must state a team name, and appoint one contact person who is a teacher and one contact person who is a student. They are responsible for all communication between the team and the competition management.
Crew and vehicle use
The same school may enter several teams, but the team may not share the same vehicles or crew.
New records
In order for a new record to be approved, the average wind can not have been more than 2.0 m/s at the time of the run. However, teams that use less energy than the current competition record (see section "Prizes from the organiser") receive the promised bonus regardless of wind conditions. Teams that are judged by the competition management to have the ability to break world records are offered to run again. The record run is made in both directions of travel on the race track, so that any influence of the wind is eliminated. Results from the record attempts do not affect the competition result, but are counted as new records if they beat the current one.
The track
The track consists of a railway track with normal track gauge, nominally 1435 mm. There are track gauge variations. Road crossings, curves, uphill and downhill slopes and a railroad switch appear along the route. The entire distance must be travelled in one stretch without derailment or without any of the occupants touching the ground.
Driver / passengers
Each vehicle must be manned by 1 - 6 people. The requirement for the passengers' total minimum weight varies with the number of passengers. If 6 people are riding, they must weigh a total of at least 300 kg, including clothes. If 5 people are riding, they must weigh a total of at least 250 kg, including clothes. For 4 people, 200 kg applies, for 3 people, 150 kg applies, for 2 people, 100 kg applies, and for one passenger, 50 kg applies. Weighing in takes place in the morning on the day of the competition. Passengers must be sober and not under the influence of drugs.
Up until 2019 we have assisted the team with light passengers in the form of children from town who enjoy the adventure of riding along. Due to Covid-19, we are now replacing the children with weights during the competition. We will later make a decision on whether to allow children as passengers again or whether we will continue to use weights.
Rälstyp
Rälerna på tävlingssträckan är av typ 40,5 kg/m. Rälsen är välanvänd med ett slitage på inre övre radien. Delsbo bangårds inre spår som ni kan komma att använda när ni testar ert fordon är av en vekare dimension.
