Before we began working on the Redshift, the team began with a modified 92 Geo Metro as our test mule.

Mule cars, also known as development mules or test mules, are usually older model vehicles that are equipped with new components for testing.

The Geo Metro prior to any alterations:

The thin red lines in the photo denote dimensions of the car after measurements were taken for the decals.  The design team then developed a few concept sketches for the vehicle, incorporating our visual identity, which was at that point, the CUAXP logo shown here:

February 2008

The mule car was gutted, emptied of its seats, linings, and other inner furnishings to make room for the test components that would be mounted inside for testing.

The modified Geo Metro was fitted with a stock 3-Cyl gasoline engine, a 24 kW Azure Dynamics motor mounted in the rear, and a 180V lead acid battery system (courtesy of Exide) set up within the middle of the cabin.

The Azure AC24 was originally used for vehicle drive, but because it lacked sufficient power, we then acquired the UQM PowerPhase 125 to drive the car, which is the motor now in the final car.  The Azure AC55 generator was bought to convert the diesel into electricity.  Although it met our needs in terms of power and price, the size and weight did not fit our qualifying vehicle.  Finally, the team was sponsored by Evo Electric (www.evoelectric.com), who lent the team a Pancake-style Motor, which was much smaller and more efficient.

The vehicle was a through-the-road parallel hybrid, meaning both the gas engine and electric motor were capable of turning the car’s wheels, but because it lacked linkages to match the different RPMs, it is better to use each system separately instead of together.  This is done by either putting the rear in neutral while the gas is driving the front, or the front in neutral while the electric is driving the rear.

We also raced the Geo Metro in the Green Grand Prix, an 80 mile race held every year in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York.

At the start of the rally:

After successfully completing all testing with the mule car, we were then able to proceed with the fabrication of our PIAXP race vehicle, the Redshift.