About Us
Mission
UTCV’s mission is to offer an authentic multidisciplinary experience that promotes students’ cross-functionality across different engineering fields. Members of the team commit to becoming:
- Technically Competent in optimally designing, building, and integrating components to perfect a chemically-powered, environmentally friendly, autonomous car.
- Resilient Leaders with a can-do attitude who work through challenges and support each other by taking the initiative to propel the team forward.
- Effective Communicators in expressing thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely.
Vision
Upscaling a perfected small car model into an environmentally friendly, single-passenger-sized, autonomous vehicle.
Team norms
Collaboration & team work
- High accountability: try our best to meet the deadline
- Develop trust between members and leads
Psychological Safety
- Free to share your opinion, positive or negative, but being respectful and constructive
- Comfortable with calling people in, not afraid to challenge each other
Growth &learning
- Learning together
- Make tasks meaningful and have purpose
Our Divisions
Mechatronics Division
The Mechatronics Division focuses on bridging the gap between mechanical and electrical engineering concepts. The division is responsible for building the car chassis, car body, and a stationary testing bench for the finished car. The Mechatronics team is also responsible for selecting and integrating a motor, designing gears, creating containment for car components, constructing circuits, and employing sensors and microcontrollers to utilize criteria provided by the Power Source and Reactions divisions to move and stop the car.
Operations Division
The Operations Division is responsible for managing UTCV’s resources. The Division handles finances, event planning, marketing, sponsorship, outreach, and, most importantly, competition planning.
Power Division
The Power Division specializes in the applications of electrochemistry. The division is responsible for researching, designing, and building a battery from basic lab materials. It must be safe to handle, environmentally friendly and provide sufficient energy to power the car motor during the competition. Metal-air batteries are the current team’s focus.
Reactions Division
The Reactions Division focuses on applications of reaction kinetics and behaviour. The division is responsible for researching, designing, building, and testing a stopping mechanism that is responsible for stopping the car model accurately using the physical or chemical properties of chemicals involved in a reaction (i.e. no mechanical brakes allowed). Clock reactions are the current team’s focus.