Automotive Design Competition 2023

CDIC Automotive Design held the Automotive Design Competition 2023.

On the morning of November 22, 2023, Automotive Design module of Chang'an Dublin International College of Transportation (CDIC) held the practical assessment of the 2023-2024 autumn semester at the Automobile Test Field of Chang'an University Weishui Campus. The Provost of CDIC Prof Paul Fanning, Dean of CDIC Prof Hainian Wang, Vice Dean of CDIC Prof Qiang Bai, Vice Dean of the College of Automobile Prof Yisong Chen, along with over 100 UCD staff, CDIC staff and students have attended the test to cheer on the students for their 3-month efforts and successful completion of the vehicle fabrication projects.

The Module Coordinator of Automotive Design, Dr Jufan Zhang from School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, introduced the motive of designing this practical test. In this module, the students were divided into 9 groups, 12 students each group. Each group independently designed, manufactured, tested and optimized a four-wheel single-seat vehicle under some certain requirements. Dr Jufan Zhang first acknowledged the great efforts and contributions from the students, and also stated that this practice comprehensively applied the knowledge learned from Design 1 and Design 2, deepened the students' understanding on the textbook knowledge, and exercised team collaboration and practical skills. At the same time, he also stated that this module, from planning to successful implementation, received strong support from the management board of the CDIC and the College of Automobile, and some relevant departments, in terms of funding, space, personnel, logistics. He also expressed his sincere appreciation to his joint coordinators, Dr Kai Zhang, Dr Jingguo Qu, Dr Ruqi Sun, Dr Dean Meng, and all the Teaching Assistants. Subsequently, Prof Hainian Wang gave a speech emphasizing the importance of combining practice with theory, encouraging students to fully unleash their creativity and demonstrate the innovative spirit in the field of automotive design. Prof Qiang Bai expressed highly praised the achievements made by the students in this module and emphasized the crucial role of automotive engineering in the future transportation field.

Prof Yisong Chen from the College of Automobile provided valuable guidance to students in his speech and stated that this course is an important experience in the academic career of students. Through the combination of practical operation and professional design, it helps to better integrate theoretical knowledge and practical abilities, which also provides a strong support for the College of Automobile to cultivate more outstanding talents in the automotive field.

Four teachers from the College of Automobile: Dr Kai Zhang, Dr Jingguo Qu, Dr Ruqi Sun, Dr Dean Meng also attended this activity. They provided comprehensive support and careful guidance during the project practice process. They not only played the role of judges, thoroughly reviewed the works of the students, but also provided valuable industrial experience and practical suggestions to the students on site. UCD Staff Prof Eugene O’Brien, Dr Junli Xu, Dr Aasifa Rounak, Dr Ekin Ozer also attended the activity.

In this unique assessment, the students conducted an impressive exhibition of independently designed and fabricated small cars, fully demonstrating their creativity and speciality, as well as the collaborative spirit of teamwork. The judges conducted a comprehensive evaluation of each car in terms of manoeuvrability, vibration, cost, dimension, weight, acceleration, braking, etc. The multi-dimensional scoring system aims to measure the cars fairly and reasonably.

After intense competition, the car of the first group stood out, winning the first prize in this assessment with excellent design concepts, stable performance, reasonable cost control, and optimization of the vehicle structure. The fifth group achieved a good result of second place. The car designed by Group 9 was highly favoured in the voting session, winning the Best Design Award.

This self-designed car test not only showcases the creativity and practical operation ability of students in the field of automotive design, but also adds highlights to CDIC’s curriculum as one of the most representative and demonstrative achievements. This Automotive Design Competition highly motived the students and stimulated their greatest interests in their professionals which also lay a solid foundation for their future career development. Many students said this is the most memorable moment in their undergraduate stage. This is also the culmination of Dr Jufan Zhang’s mechanical-series modules in CDIC undergraduate program.