Original MTV Car

Original Car used in last years competition
Max distance travel: 3.4 Meters
Powered by rubber band pulling the drive axle that powers the gears causing the car to move forward
Gear ratio: 1.667:1

What could have been done for improvements?

• Have larger diameter wheels for more distance
• Increase the gear ratio to a 2:1 Ratio for greater distance
• Change chassis to one that weighs less

Finalized MTV Car

Finalized MTV used during competition
Max distance traveled: 2 meters
Powered by rubber band wrapped around an axle

What could have been done for improvements?

• Increase body size for easier management
• Apply some sort of hook on the driving axle to use up all energy provided by rubber band
• Increase diameter of wheels to travel more
• Change rubber band system to make an efficient way to use less elastic potential energy while producing more kinetic energy

Physics behind the Rubber band Cars

The more you wind up the rubber band in your car, the more elastic potential energy you build up.When letting go the rubber band snaps back into original form spinning the axle. This elastic potential energy is then converted into kinetic energy propelling the car to move forward. Depending on the vehicle design you can make the car go faster or farther. For example having larger diameter wheels can cause the vehicle to travel farther.

AutoCAD 360 MTV Drawing

AutoCAD drawing of rubber band car design

Prototype Design 2

Simple design concept, but can be efficient
Powered by rubber band wrapped around an axle and when it is released the rubber band pulls the axle causing it to rotate

Prototype Design 1

Powered by winding up the rubber band in a tube for traveling greater distances and to use small amounts of energy per second