COLUMBUS 2 area OSU students help design, build record-setting electric car

The students are engaged in practical experience while studying.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Two engineering students from the tri-county area are part of the Ohio State University team that designed and built an electric car that set the national speed record Oct. 18 at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Benjamin Sinsheimer, 21, of Canfield, a junior in electrical engineering, and Todd Rodrick, 22, of Leetonia, a senior in mechanical engineering, were part of a 12-member team of OSU graduate and undergraduate students working on the car, known as the Buckeye Bullet.
The Bullet, driven by Craig Taylor, 61, a race car driver and former Vietnam War combat pilot, drove 257 mph to set the national speed record for an electric vehicle, surpassing the previous record of 251.3 mph. Unofficially, the Bullet also set a world record, but world racing officials weren't present to verify it, according to Sinsheimer and Rodrick.
Sinsheimer, a Canfield native and a son of Dr. Robert and Mariellen Sinsheimer, is a 2001 graduate of Canfield High School. Rodrick, a Leetonia native and a son of Tom and Cindy Rodrick, is a 1999 graduate of Leetonia High School, and serves as the Bullet's team manager. The Bullet is funded by the university and about 25 private and corporate donors, Rodrick said.
Value of project
"It's a big learning process. Not only do you learn stuff in classes, you have a chance to apply it while still an undergrad," said Sinsheimer, adding that he finds "the whole teamwork environment" of the project rewarding.
"I came away with a lot of good friends and a lot of background in engineering. I've learned how to machine parts, design parts, and function in a group. It's a lot of stuff that goes beyond the education I'm getting in the classroom," Rodrick said.
Rodrick, who is also in an on-the-job training (cooperative education) position at Honda's research and development department in Marysville, has worked on the Bullet since its inception in May 2000. Sinsheimer has worked on it for the past two years. Both men have also worked on the university's Smokin' Buckeye, a 7-year-old Indy-style electric racing car used in competition against other universities.
Rodrick's father is a mechanical engineering graduate of Youngstown State University and now works as a steel industry sales representative. "He pretty much brought me up on a technical background, so I always loved tinkering with things -- anything mechanical," he observed. Rodrick said he intends to pursue a career in the auto industry, probably in management and possibly in marketing after he graduates from OSU.
Areas of concentration
Rodrick has been working primarily on the Bullet's drive train and lightweight carbon fiber body, while Sinsheimer has focused on its electrical systems. The 30-foot-long, 2-ton Bullet has a 500-horsepower motor powered by batteries and stops with the help of two parachutes deployed behind it. The batteries have a combined weight of 1 ton.
Sinsheimer said he'll likely pursue a master's degree in electrical engineering, focusing on the technology of cars of the future. Electric cars are being held back by the fact that battery technology is lagging behind the other technologies in the automotive field, he said. "They're bulky and they're heavy," and require frequent recharging, he said of batteries. Fuel cells are a better option, but they are very expensive, he added.
Rodrick said he doubts an all-electric, battery-operated car will be the car of the future. However, he said the hybrid car, which is already available to consumers, is an emerging alternative. The hybrid car has both an internal combustion engine and a battery-powered electric motor, and uses whichever is most appropriate for driving circumstances, he said.
milliken@vindy.com