Project
In ConstructionIn Progress

FSAE Vehicle Dynamics Lead

Communication & LeadershipPhysical Testing & Instrumentation

How this project demonstrates each skill

Communication & Leadership
Skill

First dedicated VD lead on the team in two years. Restarted weekly meetings and built the tuning pipeline from first principles. Set up the infrastructure for the team to extract real information from the car and turn it into tangible improvements: a 159-parameter spec-sheet ownership tracker (difficulty, location, measurement method, owner), a Top-10 VD Parameters self-study document for new-member onboarding, and a structured test day framework.

Physical Testing & Instrumentation
Skill

Built the team's first structured test day framework: 16 test objectives in three priority tiers, six supporting documents (pre-test GO/NO-GO checklist, run sheet, data collection forms, 48-hour post-test pipeline, 5-Whys problem log, master test matrix), seven go/no-go decision points with named authority.

First dedicated VD lead on UVic's FSAE team in two years, on the team's first EV build. The job is to turn competition points into vehicle objectives, vehicle objectives into subsystem targets, and subsystem targets into the analysis, prioritization, and test plans the team can execute.

The first deliverable: a prioritized list of the job

UVic hadn't had a dedicated VD lead in two years. The first deliverable was a list of 17 work items, PCE-scored (probability, cost, effect), each with a named owner. That list became the backlog every weekly meeting now operates against.

The meeting loop

Weekly VD meetings started in February. The Mar 12 meeting produced the 17-item backlog itself. Later meetings produced the Top-10 VD Parameters onboarding doc, the measurement procedures index, and the test day framework scope.

Parameter ownership

The FSAE EV design spec sheet has 159 parameters across 13 subsystem sections. The tracker gives each row an owner, a measurement method, and a difficulty estimate. 91 of the 159 parameters are delegated to 8 named subsystem leads via an ASK column.

Gear ratio

The team had conflicting intuitions about final drive ratio. One side wanted to protect top speed, another wanted more acceleration. I built three models (traction-limited acceleration, drivetrain efficiency, and full lap simulation) to bound the question in physics instead of preference. The team adopted the recommended ratio. Full build-up of the analysis is on the gear ratio selection page.

Test day framework

The IC test day plan is a process dry run for EV test days. 16 test objectives in three priority tiers (P1 = 5, P2 = 6, P3 = 5) so the day stops cleanly if time runs short, 7 GO/NO-GO decision points with named authority, a 4-person minimum team below which the day is postponed, and a data flow that routes every measurement to its destination: paper forms to the spec sheet tracker, DAQ files to a two-copy backup and then to lap sim correlation. The framework is built. First execution is waiting on the car being ready to run.

Sim output to subsystem decisions

Project-to-Points master diagram: mapping competition points back through vehicle objectives and subsystem targets to the team's projects
Project-to-Points master diagram. Every project the team takes on should trace back to competition points through a clear chain. Gear ratio sits on the power and efficiency paths to lap time.
ChainTierKPIUnitTargetReview Cadence
Reliability0P(finish endurance)%>90%Every build milestone
Thermal Management0Component temp marginC above limit0Every test day
Tire Utilization3Peak grip utilization%>85%Every test day
Engineering DesignSRubric self-score/150>120Monthly + pre-comp
... (Mass, Power, Downforce, Drag, Efficiency, CG, Mass Distribution, Driver Confidence, Cost Awareness — targets in progress)

What changed

The team adopted the recommended final drive ratio. First vehicle-level decision the structure produced. Spec sheet ownership sits with 8 named subsystem leads instead of being vaguely on someone's plate. Weekly meetings run against a tracked 17-item backlog and nothing falls through. The test day framework is built and committed. What remains is execution on a car that runs.