Ready, get set, and go!
The 2009 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge East and West competitions have been confirmed!
HPVC East will be hosted by Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA from April 17-19, 2009.
HPVC West will be hosted by Portland State University in Portland, OR from May 1-3, 2009.
Click here to view revised rules for the 2009 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge! For further details on the 2009 competitions, please continue to check this website or visit the HPV Peerlink site.
Results are in for the 2008 HPVC Latin America, which took place September 2-4, 2008 in Maracaibo, Venezuela!
Visit the HPVC Results page for complete details on all three HPVC 2008 competitions.
 Human Powered Vehicles are aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that may be for use on land, in the water or the air. Some land-based HPV's have achieved speeds of over 60 mph. ASME sponsors the Human Powered Vehicle Competition in hopes of finding a design that can be used for everyday activities ranging from commuting to and from work to going to the grocery store. Senior engineering students can use this competition for their capstone project and with their efforts design and construct a fast, sleek, and safe vehicle capable of road use.
The point of the competition is the elegance and ingenuity of the design, including presentation, practicality and safety. All areas of engineering problem-solving are addressed - it's not as simple as it appears to design and build these vehicles. And the competition itself is great fun for the team.
The vehicles are judged on design, safety and performance. The first stage of the competition is the preparation of a comprehensive design report. The second part of the competition includes design presentation and performance events, held over a weekend where the vehicles race against one another in time trials and an endurance event.
There are three different vehicle classes:
- Single Rider - operated and powered by a single individual
- Multi-rider - operated and powered by two or more individuals
- Utility - vehicle designed for every-day transportation for such activities as commuting to work or school, shopping trips, and general transportation
The rider (or riders) can be in upright, prone or recumbent positions. The single and tandem vehicles compete in sprint and endurance events. The practical vehicle emphasizes the usefulness of the vehicle for daily activities such as shopping, transportation or recreation. The practical vehicles must negotiate a slalom course with the challenge of carrying packages, going over bumps, potholes or other obstacles while stopping at signs and obeying the rules of the road.
Questions? Email us at hpv@asme.org. | 
