Car/Design Criteria

=General Requirements=


 * 1.1 The OSE Car is expected to meet general OSE guidelines for GVCS tools, equipment, and vehicles.

=Simplicity=


 * 2.1 A person with reasonable skills with access to an equipped workshop should be able to build the OSE car.
 * 2.2 Fabrication and assembly should require less than 1000 hours of work.

=Cost to Create=


 * 3.1 Cost to build should be less than an inexpensive new car.
 * 3.2 The intial goal is to build a car that costs less than $12,000 in parts and materials.

=Operation=


 * 4.1 Meet legal requirements regulations to operate on public roads and highways.
 * 4.2 Initial, U.S. regulations will be targeted. Later, other country regulations will be factored in.
 * 4.3 Meet impact safety including a good frame, seat belts, bumpers, etc.
 * 4.4 Meet operating requirements such as signal lights, head lights, running lights, brake lights, etc.
 * 4.5 Meet established emission requirements - this is good for our planet, too.
 * 4.6 Speed - must be capable of minimum road speeds for highway operation.
 * 4.7 Reverse - pretty much a requirement to park it in a public place.

=Fuel, Economy, and Range=


 * 5.1 In general, the OSE Car should be inexpensive or effectively free to operate.
 * 5.2 In the first prototype, a gasoline or diesel fuel will be targeted.
 * 5.3 50 miles per gallon will be the target for the first gas/diesel prototype.
 * 5.4 The car should be design in a manner that facilitates other kinds of fuels and power sources that may include:
 * Gas such as propane, methane, producer gas, etc.
 * Wood pellets that fire a boiler that drives a turbine or steam engine.
 * Stored electrical energy that drives electric motors.
 * 5.5 Car should have an initial driving range of 500 miles.

=Other Considerations=


 * 6.1 There is strong desire to use the existing PowerCube as a drive motor.
 * 6.2 A custom vehicle PowerCube made be substituted based on OSE principles of modularity, repairability, etc.
 * 6.3 The OSE Car should be comparable or lighter in overall weight than a compact car.
 * 6.4 The size of the OSE Car should allow it to be parked in typical U.S. parking spaces.