Hydrogen car competition becomes an exercise in teamwork

AE first-year student Henry Darlage has had an interest in cars and airplanes for as long as he can remember. To further pursue his passions, he chose to be a member of his high school’s hydrogen car team, the Von Steuben Chicago Skyline Racing team.

"The main reason I became an aerospace engineer is because I want to understand how air flows around shapes,” Darlage said.

The Hydrogen Grand Prix is Darlage’s favorite competition because the teams are able to 3D print their own parts. The Von Steuben Chicago Skyline Racing team first competed at the Midwest Hydrogen Grand Prix.

"My entire goal was to get this car to be at the lowest weight possible, 1,200 grams,” Darlage said.

During this process, Darlage changed the steering system from a conventional steering system to a pan car steering system.

"Everything clicked,” he said. “The car was perfect, and we won. It was awesome."

Darlage and his team competed at the World Competition for the Hydrogen Grand Prix last fall.

"For the World Competition, my idea was that we would switch the entire chassis, a big design overhaul,” he said.

To do this, Darlage decided to change the mounting design for the car by mounting the hydro sticks upside down.

"All you had to do was flip the car over and then you wouldn’t have to take off the Lexan body," he said.

Although the changes helped the car’s efficiency, Darlage and his team ran into problems prior to the World Competition.

"We stayed at a Great Wolf Lodge, and it was in that room that I discovered the problem with the spur gear and the pinion gear,” Darlage said. "Unfortunately, it was the day before the competition that I discovered the problem. There's nothing we could do."

During the race, the team’s car experienced a crash that caused the body mounts to break. Despite this setback, there were still numerous moments that made attending the competition worth it.

"It was cool meeting other people from different countries,” Darlage said. “One thing I like about college is I’ve met people from Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Colombia. That’s pretty cool."

One of Darlage’s biggest takeaways is how important it is to have a working, well-oiled team.

“It's important to have a good team behind you for any competition you do as well as the real world,” he said. “It's important to have a team there with you to help you design the rocket. Without a strong team, it's not going to go well for you.”

Darlage also emphasizes the importance of listening to what others have to say, especially when it comes to working on a team for a competition.

“You need to be a good listener because you can't just say, ‘No, you're wrong. I'm right,’” he said. “You have to actually hear somebody out instead of just yelling.”