Propulsion Assisted Bucky Wagon
Problem statement
The current Bucky Wagon has been a Wisconsin staple for every Saturday game day at Camp Randall since 1971. Around 2010, the Bucky Wagon exterior was restored, and the powertrain was converted to an electric drive system. Students in the Automotive projects helped design and machine components. The Bucky Wagon powertrain is a prototype which has never gone under any rigorous validation since the components cannot be modified. During football games, the timing of pregame events is choreographed to within a few seconds. Over the past few years, the Bucky Wagon has been known to fault during normal operation; one fault being the last football game of 2023 – after a few attempts the system was successfully rebooted and the Bucky Wagon drove off the field without creating a delay. With the client requesting the vehicle to be more usable for all drivers, we intend to create an auxiliary electric drive system. This will enable the Bucky Wagon to move itself off the field or to a place of safety in case of a main drive failure.
Team members
Jennings Torgelson – leader
Jacob Carignan – communicator
Ian Figueroa – accountant
John Dosdall – admin
Client
Glenn Bower