voodooEVcarbooth

The design and fabrication process

These images are my very early work on a CAD or computer aided design system called Alias.  Alias was created in the 1980's by two Canadian engineers.  They figured out how to create curved or swept lines on a computer.  Before computers uses lots of very small Stright lines in a row to look like curved lines.  General Motors picked up and co-developed Alias where I first learned and used it.  In 1983 there were only 2 Alias stations at GM styling, and I used them during lunch and after work because I wanted to have more input and control on the design process than just sticking to sketching and working with clay modelers that is more typical for designers of that time.  I guess you could say I was an early adaptor of this technology and I managed to get Alias on my computer at home.  Alias was the first software to create complex forms by kind of sketching rather than typing in numbers.  I have spent 30 years designing using Alias and now teach it at ArtCenter collage in Pasadena California.  Now all auto design students learn some Alias.  But luckily for you there are many good design cad systems today that are easier to use and are less expensive.

For me having the ability to design and package the hole vehicle at the same time is what I feel is the genius using CAD, making tradeoffs from the start of a project.

Above, a quick Alias model.

Seat development

                                                                                                                                                      above is the wood mockup seat I used in the car to test entry/exit, steering wheel placement and pedals.

My seats made form aluminum and covered in leather; the head rests are actually form the F-101 voodoo fighter jet

I designed these seats using Alias, and the parts where laser cut to shape.  The parts are self-locating to form the seat without having tools to locate the parts for assembling.

Below UQM motor and inverter (controller) installed.  Note battery tray in front.

Frame designs

Frame design, ladder frame-there are several types of frames used on vehicles. They basically derived from horse and carriage designs many years ago.  The most common type is the ladder frame. Much like a ladder laying on the ground there are two main beams or tubes running front to back, with several cross beams or tubes connecting side to side, forming a somewhat 2-dimensional structure.  They are easy to build and have been the most common frame in trucks due to the thickness of the steel used giving them durability.  Probably the biggest reason after that is the frame in a flat plane low in the vehicle supporting the loads or weight of the cargo carried in the flat load floor or in the cargo box.  The weakness in this style is the height of the frame in thickness.  If you look at steel bridges, there strength to carry heavy loads comes from the bridge's height from the bottom the lowest beam to the top of the highest beam in the air.  in other words, the thicker the structure the higher the load carrying capability it will have.  the thicker the frame its load carrying capability increases exponentially.  A 6-inch-tall frame will have more than twice the strength of a 3-inch frame.  If you notice ladder frames tend to bend especially in torsional load (or twist), hence the ''weakness of a flat or ladder frame.

BFI or body frame integral-this the frame type used in most cars today.  rather than beams it uses stamped thin sheet meal body panels spot welded or adhered together to from the body and floor together in a 3-dimensional structure.  One of the good attributes of this style is the body contributes to the structure of the vehicle rather than just hold paint in space.  BFI also tends to be lighter, due to its ability to have each stamped panel having different thicknesses.  More optimized strength to weight.  But one major downside is the manufacturing tooling required to produce the vehicles.  It could take an investment of billions of dollars.  Once you have a $$ plant you can obviously build many vehicles a year.

Space frame-Or 3-dimentional tubular frame.  By this point you can see that a space frame takes advantage of both BFI and Ladder frames.  They also have the ability to be produced at lower vehicle volumes and they were popular with low volume sports cars. Due to this I chose to use a spaceframe on Voo Doo, it has stainless steel square and round tubes for corrosion protection.  Voo Doo's frame is a center spine type for carrying the loads of the batteries which is about 600 lbs.  It also has front rear and side crush areas for safety.     

Monocoque- some Monocoque frames are carbon fiber tubs.  Monocoque frames are very similar to BFI frames, just using carbon fiber rather than steel sheets. Yes, they typically are lighter and stronger due to the properties of building carbon fiber frames due to the ability to alter the thickness or the how many layers of carbon fiber around the frame.  Optimizing its structure for weight and strength.  Another difference in monocoque frames that are common, there are typically metal tubular front and rear sub-frames (making they a little deferent than BFI structures).  Obviously, the cost of this style of frame keeps it in the very expensive vehicles.  It is also difficult to build in high volume due to the more hand-built methods typically used today and the material costs.  But yes, having the ability to alter the thickness to more optimize the frame creates light frames.

Aircraft frame- It would also be good to understand torsional loads in aircraft bodies to help understand resisting torsional loads in car frames. If you try to twist an aluminum can of soda (full of soda).

knowing that the aluminum skin is very thin, it won't twist in any noticeable way.  This is because a tube such as a aircraft body is very optimal shape for resisting torsional loads.  Thinking about ladder vs BFI types.  Please note the bigger the tube the stronger the torsional resistance it has.  An aircraft body vs a 2'' tube.

Beaming a frame- Beaming is just applying a load or weight in the center and measuring its flex or how much is sagged down, As mentioned in the ladder frame above the thicker the frame from the very bottom to the highest point in creases its beaming strength.  So the bottom of the floor of your BFI car to the top of the roof distance is its beaming strength. Something like 50 inches, compared to maybe 8 inches in big pickup truck.

In the end no matter what material or manufacturing processes are used, the physical dimensions of the structure are what creator its strength, rather than just the materials such as carbon fiber etc., Having the structure where you need it-to serve the purpose of the area of the frame.  Such as dealing with crash, motor, frame torsional, or seat belt crash loads?

Above     Ladder frame (channel or box)                                                                  hydro-formed space frame (tubes)                                                                             BFI, body frame intragyral (sheet metal)

Above, ''aircraft body in tortional load.  Note the stresses are spread out smoothly.                                                           Below, The opposite would be a localized point of stress.

The body design and fabrication

Above, photo showing ladder frames in tortional load.

Above is a rendering of the front working on the attachment and structure for the splitter.

Above is the data sent to the company to mill out the tools

Above this image I was calculating the number of foam blocks and the cost needed to mill out the body panels.  Below, the front bumper was milled years later so different foam was used, this is a ren-board foam with much higher quality and density (can be as hard as wood).  If you are watching your budget, I would use the blue flotation form above.  It is harder that Styrofoam, but it is definitely on the softer side that's why it's a lower cost product.

This is a great point in my project, getting to see what the car is going to look like, sitting in it and feeling what its like in real life.

My project started its life in Birmingham Michigan, above I moved to California.                                                                 Above working in i from a family cabin in Michigan

This is me in about 2009, I was getting ready to weld the inner door structure to the hinges and latch.  I just finished putting on the body side door seals.

Above you can see the horizontal panels have a end grain balsa core for strength and light weight.

Above is the rear jump seat structure, note all laser cut and adhered and riveted together.

Above, a photo showing a laser cutting metal.

Above are the wood templets for the side glass to be made, that is my old phone number......

Above installing some high voltage wiring and components.  Borrowing the hoist at work.

This is not my photo, but its the same turbine engine.                                                                                                                    Above is some information on the engine.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Above is the fuel tank car, holding 11 gallons.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Above one of the two generators powered by the turbine engine, producing 10-15kw

Above are the Turbine engine box air scoops that direct ''ram air'' into the engine.  The molds were 3-D printed and the parts are fiberglass.

Above is the Data sent for 3-D printing. Note they are female molds.  Female molds are better because the painted surface on the part is formed against the smooth mold surface reducing the cleanup need on the final parts.

Above an example of the 3-D printing process.

Above the turbine engine box and rear compartment.

The body shop and paint

Above Voo Doo's body is getting finished and painted.  Painted by Color Wheel and Paint in Westminster California.

Above getting Voo Doo read for its first car show.

showing Voo Doo at car shows

Above showing Voo Doo at the ArtCenter invitational car show 2023.

Above showing Voo Doo at the Quail Motorsports car show near Carmel California.

Above: October 7th, showing at the Hot Wheels Legends Tour!

Interior design and fabrication

Above an early Alias math model of the IP and Console

Above the IP and console being milled again out of the higher density ren-board later in about 2022

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              The center console painted adding controls.

Above the IP just out of the mold fitting the 5 major parts together that create the IP.

Above butting the gauges and monitor in the IP.  

Above Voo Doo's HUD or heads up display out of a fighter jet (unknown).  I mounted a display that connects to your phone and displays whatever you want, GPS, movies, speed, etc.  Notice I am making the switch panel to the right to match the rear aircraft HUD one on the left.  This is done by cutting the letters from a laser on black painted Laxan plate.  The letters are painted opaque white, and the excess paint is wiped off.  This way they can glow when lit.

Above the finished interior.

Above interior trim covers and headliner added, almost finished.

windshield fabrication and installation

Above spraying the black or frit area to hide the adhesive.  I used silicone because the windshield is Laxan not glass.  

installing the custom windshield

Above 3-D printed interior pillar covers, the next step is strengthened with fiberglass and covered with foamed cloth.

Above:  Voo Doo's Design center, financial headquarters, main assembly plant, trim shop, and main storage building in California. Yea its a very efficient company!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                3-D printed interior pillar trim parts.

Suspension design, fabrication, and installation

The suspension system, I wanted the car road dynamics right, I outsourced the suspension points from a suspension designer from Gener Motors.   The points are the center of the bushings that move with the suspension, setting up the performance of the system.  How the car handles, feels driving, and braking and under acceleration.  How the weight transfers under the different conditions.  It also controls the tire contact patch to the ground during turning, and how the car centers itself on the highway.  They also control what is called anti-squat, and anti-dive, which is resistance to the cars nose diving under hard braking and the rear lifting.

It is also important to have an understanding of the strength of the parts in the suspension and  brackets that mount them to the frame.  I ended up installing Air springs to  allow for ride height adjustments based on if I wanted to drive, race, or show the car.

Above are the final airbag springs added, they have internal shock absorbers.

Forgiato wheels 21/22''

My show wheels and air-ride suspension added

Taillights fabrication and installed.

Taillight mods, they are silicone cast from a 3-D printed ''plugs''.

here are the 3-D plugs sitting in half of the molds

Yes it is a 4 door

Rear badge design and fabrication

Voodoo F-101

One of my passions is aircraft, above is the jet my Father flew in the Air Force in 1957 out of Oxnard California.  

Voo Doo rear badge carved form a block of aluminum, inspired form the F-101 Voodoo interceptor squadron patch.

High voltage design and fabrication

Above my rough High voltage strategy drawing

Above my battery tray holds 10 batteries.  No Jegs doesn't sell this I just like stickers.....they makes thinks look like a product.

Above, the BMS or battery management system, being bench tested.  The BMS system is one of the most important parts of an electric car, as all ten batteries have 16 packs of lithium ion.  160 packs need to be electrically balanced to near the same voltage and monitored all the time.  My computer monitoring system is made by Thunderstruck motors.

Above a friend is helping load the batteries.

It has a heads up display out of a fighter jet; it displays what ever you have on your connected phone.  It always amazes me how the design comes to life painted.